Jacques
Androuet du Cerceau (c1520–1586), René
Boyvin (1525–1598) and workshop printmakers
“Plate 11: Species Æqvipondii Novi” (a new type of bellows], 1569,
a lifetime impression from the first edition (signified by the inscribed Latin
text—later editions have the text on the verso of the preceding page [see https://archive.org/details/theatruminstrum00bessa/page/n31/mode/2up]) published in Jacques Besson (c1540–c1576)
and François Béroalde de Verville’s (1556–1626), ”Theatrum
instrumentorum et machinarum Iacobi Bessoni Delphinatis, mathematici
ingeniosissimi".
The Curator of
the British Museum offers the following insights regarding the plates in this
publication:
“… 'Theatrum
Instrumentorum et machinarum', a treatise written by Jacques Besson,
illustrated by 60 plates (engraved by various artists including Androuet du
Cerceau), and allegedly firstly published in Orléans in 1569, though it is also
referred as a book firstly published in 1578 in Lyon.
This very
popular work was republished several times, in Geneva (1594 and 1626), in Spain
(1602) and in Nuremberg (1595)” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1850-0612-93).
Etching with
engraving on laid paper (partial watermark) with full margins (as published in
the first edition).
Size: (sheet) 39
x 27 cm; (plate) 31.7 x 19.5 cm.
Lettered and
numbered in plate at upper edge: (centre) “SPECIES ÆQVIPONDII
NOVI, QVOD AGITATVM MANV/ VNIVS, ET ALTERIVS, INSTAR CAMPANÆ PVLSATÆ,/ TANTVM
VIRIVM HABET AD AGENDVM BINOS, EOSQVE/ IMMANES FOLES IN FODINIS, VT ÆQVARE
POSSINT/ EOS, QVI VEL VI AQVARVM, VEL EQVORVM IN/ GIRVM ACTORVM, PROMOVENTVR –“
([transl.] “New type of aequipondio [bellows?], which is agitated by the hand
of one, and by the other in the manner of ringing a bell …” [my apologies if
this translation is too far from the original text and I decided not to continue
for fear of proposing incorrect meanings); (right) “11”.
Condition: the
image is strong but the sheet has water stains along the lower edge and there
are flattened printer’s crease (i.e. creases formed during the printing
process).
I am selling
this rare lifetime impression (c1569) showing a proposed Renaissance Period
invention (possibly based on a design from Leonardo’s unpublished notebooks
[see https://www.martayanlan.com/pages/books/2350/jacques-besson/theatrum-instrumentorum-et-machinarum]) to effectively pump large furnace
bellows, for the total cost of AU$253 (currently US$187.38/EUR158.69/GBP136.08
at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the
world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.
If you are
interested in purchasing this amazing illustration from what is arguably the
first published compendium of machine inventions—and certainly the most
influential! —please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will
send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.
This print has been sold
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