Lot 1168 , Bonelli, Giorgio (1742-1782), Nicoloa Martelli, (editor) and Liberato Sabbati - Hortus Romanus, vol 4 [of 8], large folio (550 x 390mm), half vellum, drab boards, half-title, title in red and black with hand-coloured eng

° Bonelli, Giorgio (1742-1782), Nicoloa Martelli, (editor) and Liberato Sabbati - Hortus Romanus, vol 4 [of 8], large folio (550 x 390mm), half vellum, drab boards, half-title, title in red and black with hand-coloured engraved vignette, portrait of Cardinal Bernardino Giraud, with 98 [of 100] hand-coloured engraved plates of plants and flowers, most by Maddelana Bouchard after Cesare Ubertini, 22 pp. of text in double columns, Pauli Junchi for Jean Bouchard and Jean-Jospeh Gravier, Rome, 1776.
An extremely rare coloured edition of one of 18th century Italian most important botanical works. According to Nissen, citing the publisher’s prospectus, only 300 copies were produced, and among these a very small number were hand-coloured. Note:
Bonelli, a physician and professor of medicine in Rome, contributed only a brief introductory text to the first volume, adhering to Tournefort’s principles of plant classification. The subsequent volumes were edited by Nicoloa Martinelli, professor of botany in Rome, who revised and arranged the work according to the Linnaean binomial system, drawing upon text and specimens supplied by Liberato and Constantino Sabbati.
£5,000-8,000

Condition:
some wear to boards with leather upper corners missing on both boards, panelled spine reasonable, most plates with light brown damp soiling top rh. margins (some just on blank area of plate), plt. 54 with light overall browning, staining to rh. margin, clean tear lh. margin plt.83; lacks plts. 53 & 84.