Padova, Pietro Paolo Tozzi, 1624.
Folio [341 x 231 mm] of (1) l., (3) ll., 256 pp., (1) l. of table. 2 full-page portraits including one out of pagination and 191 plates in the text misnumbered 190. Bound in full black morocco, gilt fillets on the covers, allegorical fleurons on the corners, spine ribbed, large gilt inner border, gilt upper edge. Binding signed Bretault.
First edition with a cancel title dated 1624. Only the title was changed compared to the 1606 edition from Copenhagen.
Gelli, pp. 75-77.
Magnificent work describing the various sparring, attacks, defenses and parades.
The title is followed by a magnificent portrait of Christian IV, King of Denmark, to whom the work is dedicated: the book has 256 pages, the second part starts with the author’s portrait dated 1605. Besides, the work is illustrated in 191 copper-engravings with captions in the text by Halbeeck including a human anatomical figure and 190 figures of duel with sword and dagger.
“Among the 190 plates inserted in the text, all very beautiful, several are superposed and pasted in order to hide the one which were badly printed or to correct the inaccurate numbering. All the plates are copper-engraved by the famous Halbeeck… Portraits and plates of the 1624 edition are identical to the ones of the 1606 edition and as for us, they are the same.” says Jacapo Gelli in his Bibliographia Generali Della Scherma. Milano 1895.
The engravings are both extremely sober and of a perfect accuracy. Each of them represent a pavement on which the adversaries, unclothed to underline the exact position of their bodies when they lunge or ward off a swordthrust. Many of them show one of the attackers touching or running their sword through his adversary.
Each of the engravings comes with a descriptive text.
Brunet underlines the rarity of this treatise “Book hard to find” he says, col. 1155 part II, of his Manuel.
A superb wide-margined copy, complete.
See less information
