[Rarebooks] FS: Beautiful study of stars & planets on ancient engraved gems. Florence: 1750

[Karmbooks at aol.com]

[Gori, Antonio Francesco and Giovanni Battista Passeri] THESAURUS GEMMARUM 
ANTIQUARUM ASTRIFERARUM Quae e Compluribus Dactyliothecis Selectae Aereis 
Tabulis CC. Insculptae Observationibus Inlustrantur Adiectic Parergis LX. Atlante 
Farnesiano Prolegomenus. Diatribis III. Dissertationibus XV. Et Indicibus. [De 
Gemmis Basilidianus et Duabus Aliis. In Selectae Gemmas Antiquas Astriferas et 
in Praestantiora Inedita Cimelia]. Florence: Ex Officiana Typogr. Albiziniana. 
1750. First edition. Lg. 4to. 3 vols. xx,(16),plus 200 engraved 
plates;xiv,(2),312,(18);viii,308pp. Indices (Vols. II & III). Added engraved title and 
engraved title-page vignette, as well as engraved head & tail pieces & initials. 
Text of first 14 pages printed within ornate engraved borders. Vols. II & III 
with engraved title-page vignettes and head & tail pieces, and several text 
woodcuts. Additionally, in Vol. III, there are 7 large folding engraved plates. 
Orig. gilt decorated red sheep, brown calf spine labels, over marbled boards, 
rubbed & soiled. Spines scuffed, lower 1/3 of some hinges with splits but still 
holding very soundly. 4 leaves of Vol. II with old paper repairs (no loss of 
text); 2 leaves of Vol. III with minor soiling. Front pastedowns with library 
bookplates acknowledging that they were gifted by the noted gemologist & book 
collector John Sinkankas (with his name misspelled).     $3,000.00 (trade 
discount allowed)
Antonio Gori (1691-1757) was a Catholic priest who studied the arts of the 
ancient world. This work is an elaborate treatise on the significance of the 
stars and other celestial bodies depicted on engraved gems. Some copies recorded 
have only 5 (instead of our 7) folding plates. Brunet, II, 1670; Graesse, III, 
120; Sinkankas I, 246.

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