pdf - Roger Gaskell Rare Books

ut they had little inXuence on subsequent publications.’ (Cazort p.
167.)
Both Casserius and Spigellius had studied with Fabricius in Padua,
and succeeded him in turn in the chair of surgery and anatomy. When
Casserius died in 1616 he left no written text for a projected complete
atlas of human anatomy but only a collection of 86 plates. Spigellius
died in 1625 leaving two un­illustrated manuscripts, De humani corporis
fabrica libri decem and De formato foetu. It was left to Spigellius’ young
Polish pupil, Daniel RindXeisch or Bucretius to put together the text
and illustrations, printed from the original plates, adding 20 new
plates by the original artists. He was assisted by Spigellius’ son­in­law,
Liberalis Crema. De formato foetu, with 9 plates, was published Wrst,
at Padua in 1626, followed by De humani corporis fabrica, the present
work, at Venice in 1627.
The design and execution of the plates has traditionally been
attributed to the artist Odorati Fialetti (1573–1638) and the engraver
Francesco Valesio (1560–1648?) who were responsible for the engraved
titlepages. Cazort Wnds no reason to doubt that the designer of the
plates was Fialetti, saying that ‘the imaginative scope of the Casserius
illustrations is in accord with this still under appreciated printmaker’
(Cazort p. 168). On the other hand the variation in the quality of the
engravings suggests that several hands may be at work.
The Wrst engraved titlepage is rather worn, but the second, printed
from the same plate but with the lettering altered, is in much better
condition.
Mimi Cazort, Monique Kornell and K. B. Roberts, The ingenious machine
of nature (1996) pp. 167–8.
176
STENSEN, Nils, or STENO (1638–1686)
Elementorum myologiae specimen, seu musculi descriptio
geometrica. Cui accedunt canis carchariae dissectum caput, et
dissectus piscis ex canum genere.
Florence: ex typographia sub signo stellae, 1667.
4to: ✠ 4 A–P 4 Q 2 , 66 leaves, pp. [8] 123 [1] (last page blank). Woodcut
Medici arms on title, typographical headpieces, woodcut initials.
Woodcut diagrams in the text.
7 plates: 3 large folding woodcut plates numbered Tabula I–III and 4
full page engraved plates numbered Tab. [IV], V, [VI], VII. (bound at
the end with the engravings Wrst).
280 x 167. Small stain in prelims, some very light foxing. A Wne fresh
and clean copy.
Binding: Eighteenth­century roan backed boards, vellum tips, gilt
tooled spine. A little rubbed, front endleaf removed.