Prev / Next

Christmas Special / Antique Books, Autographs and Prints

Thursday 11 December 2025 e Friday 12 December 2025, 03:00 PM • Rome

366

Architettura

Poleni, Giovanni

Historical memoirs of the great dome of the Vatican temple, and of the damages to it, and of their restorations, divided into five books, 1748

Estimate

€ 800 - 1.000

Un utente ha offerto

Your offer is the highest

Information

Padua, in the Seminary printing house, 1748. In folio. Half-title, copper-engraved vignette on the title page, woodcut printer's device at the end of the volume, large intaglio initial A with a dome in the background and intaglio headpiece with the coat of arms of the dedicatee, Pope Benedict XIV, on fol. b1r, complete with the 28 intaglio plates, some restorations, a few wormholes, light browning and rare foxing, later half-leather and marbled paper binding, gilt title on the spine.

Specialist Notes

An elegant illustrated volume complete with 28 plates documenting the architectural consolidation project for the dome of St. Peter's in the Vatican, conceived by Poleni and subsequently realized by the renowned architect Luigi Vanvitelli. Giovanni Poleni (1683-1761), an Italian mathematician, physicist, and engineer, was an extraordinarily versatile scholar: he systematically studied the work of Vitruvius, in 1739 he obtained from the Serenissima the establishment of one of the first European chairs of Experimental Physics in Padua, and, the following year, he founded the first physics laboratory at an Italian university.

Condition report

To request a Condition Report, please contact libriestampe@finarte.it The department will provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Please note that what Finarte declares with respect to the state of conservation of the objects corresponds only to a qualified opinion and that we are not professional conservators or restorers. We urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. We always suggest prospective buyers to inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition during the exhibition days as indicated in the catalog.

Suggested lots

Caricamento lotti suggeriti...