Miscellanea eruditae antiquitatis: in quibus marmora, statuae, musiva, toreumata, gemmae, numismata, Grutero, Vrsino, Boissardo, Reinesio aliisque antiquorum monumentorum collectoribus ignota & hucusque inedita referuntur ac illustrantur
Lugduni [i.e., Lyon]: sumptibus autoris; vaeneunt apud T. Amaulry, 1685. First edition, folio (leaf 37.7 cm), pp. [8], 376, [4]; title page printed in red and black, engraved vignette laid down on title (as issued), nearly 60 engravings and woodcuts in the text, some quite large, numerous Greek and Latin inscriptions, some within ruled borders mimicking tablets, woodcut initials and ornaments; contemporary full calf, blindstamped spine in 7 compartments, maroon morocco label in 1; front joint cracked, cords holding, and rebacked, the spine laid down, chips at the extremities, corners bumped; the binding is quite sound and internally the book is fresh and clean. Bookplate of Percy, Algernon, 4th Duke of Northumberland, and the title and author noted in an early, unidentified hand on the front free flyleaf. A delightful excursion into the antiquities of Rome and Greece, including coins and medals, iconography, ancient structures, dieties, etc. Jacob Spon (1647-1685) was "a French Calvinist physician and archaeologist from Lyon. In 1675-1676, together with the British clergyman Sir George Wheeler (1650-1723), he undertook a trip to Greece, Constantinople and the Levant to visit the ruins of the ancient world" (albanianhistory.net) and they were among "the first knowledgeable Western European antiquaries to see the antiquities of Greece at first hand ... [In the preface to] Miscellanea eruditae antiquitatis ... he offered one of the earliest definitions of "archaeologia" to describe the study of antiquities in which he was engaged" (Wikipedia). Item #73513
Price: $950.00
