9 volumes, including plate volumes I, II, III part 1, III part 2; and text volumes I, II part 1, II part 2, III part 1, III part 2. Plate volumes with 264 full-page copper-engraved plates, 197 with engraved outline key plate on facing leaf, for a total of 461 plates in all; plus copper-engraved allegorical frontispiece in plate Vol. I; engraved title-page in each plate volume. Text volumes are: 310; 336; 264; 277; [2], 424 pp. Plate volumes are elephant folio, 28¼x19½; text volumes are large quarto, 14x9½. Uniformly bound in period quarter mottled calf & mottled boards, spines ruled in gilt, raised, morocco lettering pieces. First Edition.
Magnificent set of this stupendous anatomical atlas, skillfully engraved on fine paper, the accompanying text volumes typographic masterpieces in themselves, reminiscent of the finest work of the Bodoni Press. “Leopoldo Caldani succeeded Morgagni in the chair of anatomy at Padua, where he was already professor of theoretical medicine. In his later years he was assisted in the publication of his anatomical works by his nephew, Floriano Caldani, also a professor at Padua. They worked together on this massive and beautiful compilation of the best anatomic representations of past years. For example, the representations of bones and muscles follow Albinus, the teeth and sexual organs are after John Hunter, the lymphatics after Mascagni, and the pregnant uterus and embryos after William Hunter and Soemmerring. Among the other major anatomists represented are Monro, Scarpa, Cruikshank, Ruysch, Loder, Cotugno, Haller, Sandifort, Santorini, and Camper. However, many of the plates were drawn from original preparations by the younger Caldani… The text is contained in the Iconum anatomicarum explicatio, a considerably smaller in size and intended to accompany the plates. It has an unusual arrangement in that Volumes II and III of the text pertain to Volume II of the plates, while Volumes I, IV, and V refer to Volumes I, III, and IV of the plates” - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 962; Choulant-Frank, pp. 327-328; Wellcome II, p. 287
Condition:
Just minor extremity wear; some light, primarily marginal dampstaining in Plate Vol. I; text with some light foxing, Vol. I with occasional dampstaining to gutter margins, Vol. III, part 2 with very faint dampstain to upper corners; overall a fine set, very rare thus. Because of the size of the volumes, additional shipping charges will apply.