Beschreibung:

Dufresnoy, Charles-Alphonse. L'art de peinture de Charles Alphonse Du Fresnoy Traduit en François, avec des remarques necessaires & tres-amples. Paris: (François Muguet for) Nicolas Langlois 1668
Dufresnoy's didactic poem De arte graphica was composed during his extensive stay in Rome in the 1630s and 1640s and circulated in manuscript, but was first printed after his death (he died in 1665). The translation is by Roger de Piles a friend of Dufresnoy. Two editions appeared in 1668; in addition to this parallel text edition there was also a printing of just the Latin text.
The collation of the preliminary leaves seems to vary from copy to copy; this copy contains the title-page, a two-leaf dedication to Colbert, a two-leaf preface to the reader, two leaves of an artistic glossary with the errata, and a contents leaf.
8vo (184 x 119 mm). Italic and roman type, 35 lines plus headline, parallel French and Latin text. collation: a5 (a1+χ2) +2 2χ1 A-K8 L4: 92 leaves. Woodcut vignette on title-page, woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces, (Marginal stain in quire F, lower corner of final leaf slightly torn, inscriptions crossed through at head of title-page and on inside lower cover.)
binding: Contemporary French mottled calf (189 x 122 mm), spine gilt in compartments, red edges. (Extremities slightly rubbed, upper joint and ends of spine repaired, lower joint cracked.)
provenance: Etienne Doudieux (1632-1706), of Le Mans, sculptor, inscription found throughout the book — Jesuits of La Flèche, inscription on title-page — Paul le Blanc, inscription on inside front cover. acquisition: Purchased in 2012 from Librairie Paul Jammes, Paris.