De Musivis... by Furietti, Giuseppe Alessandro - 1752

Rome: Apud Jo. Mariam Salvioni Typographum, 1752. 4to, contemporary vellum over boards; gilt-lettered spine within gilt border; edges speckled in red. lSomwhat warped. Excellent copy of the first and only edition of this fundamental history of mosaics from antiquity until Furietti's own time. Title page printed in red and black with engraved vignette. Handsome engraved head-and-tailpieces and historiated initials throughout. Six full page plates of which four are folding. The work resulted from Furietti's discoveries in the ruins of Hadrian's villa. The first plate is the drinking doves mosaic described by Pliny in his Historiae Naturalis and which is now in the Capitoline Museum. Other plates include a Persian floor mosaic. Berlin Katalog 3946.. Vellum Over Boards. Near Fine. 4to.