[Rarebooks] FS: 1722 Beautifully Illustrated History of Musical Instruments

[Charles Agvent]

BONANNI, Filippo. GABINETTO ARMONICO PIENO D'ISTROMENTI SONORI... Rome: 
Giorgio Placho, 1722. First Edition. Quarto (6-1/2" x 9") bound in 
contemporary full vellum. [xvi], 170, [1] pages. Illustrated with an 
engraved frontispiece, an engraved dedication page, and 138 lovely 
full-page copper engravings of various instruments, some quite fanciful, 
played by people from different cultures in their native costumes 
(numbered I-CXXXVI, with two plates numbered XII-XIII and XIII-XIV; two 
plates with duplicate numbers but different images XXIX and LXXVIII; and 
two unnumbered plates. The scarce First Issue (Brunet, column 1086). The 
Second Issue, as well as the 1723 edition, had 151 plates with 
additional text in the index. A beautifully illustrated book and one of 
the principal sources for the history of musical instruments in the 18th 
century as well as being one of the earliest attempts to describe and 
depict every known musical instrument from the ancient times. Each 
instrument is illustrated being played by a native from its region of 
origin giving the book additional interest ethnologically and for its 
costumes. Small library ink stamp on the verso of the title page and a 
small skimmed spot on the spine from the removal of a sticker. 
Occasional small marginal closed tear, some neatly repaired on verso. 
Darkening to vellum. Near Fine copy.

The work is dedicated to King David, who is shown playing the harp in 
the frontispiece. Of especial interest is the folding plate depicting 
the surreal and magnificent organ designed by Michele Todino for the 
Palazzo Signori Verospi in Rome. The learned Jesuit polymath, Filippo 
Bonanni (1638--1725), published on a wide spectrum of subjects, ranging 
from natural history and biology to numismatics. The present book, his 
last, is based on the Society's Collegio Romano's collection where 
Bonanni succeeded his teacher Athanasius Kircher as professor of 
mathematics. (#011319) $6,000.00

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