STELLUTI, Francesco. Persio tradotto in verso sciolto. Roma, Giacomo Mascardi, 1630
4to piccolo, 215x148 mm. Legatura italiana del XVIII secolo, mezza pergamena con angoli, dorso liscio con titolo in un tassello dorato, tagli picchiettati. Pagine [24, incluso Frontespizio inciso], 218, [20]. Frontespizio inciso da Matthaeus Greuter, un ritratto di Persio e sei figure nel testo, di cui una a piena pagina. Marginalia di mano antica. Piccola galleria di tarlo sui fogli di guardia e sui primi tre fogli, compreso il Frontespizio; alcune pagine uniformemente brunite, alcune lievi tracce di gora, piccola mancanza al margine del foglio M4.
Rara prima edizione figurata. Si tratta della prima opera che contiene immagini di organismi visti attraversi il microscopio. Di notevole rilievo le rappresentazioni incise da Stelluti dell’anatomia dell’ape e del tonchio. Garrison-Morton: “First book to contain illustrations of natural objects as seen through the microscope, specifically an engraving of the exterior surface of bees.”Freedburg: “The full-page image of a magnified bee (p. 52), showing minute details of the antennae, legs, sting, head and tongue, "still has the capacity to arouse the wonder of modern experts.” On page 127 is a smaller illustration of a magnified grain weevil, including a detail of the tip of the insect’s snout and mandibles. This translation by Francesco Stelluti of the works of the Latin poet Persio is dedicated to the powerful cardinal Francesco Barberini in an attempt to obtain the patronage of the cardinal for the Accademia dei Lincei.” I marginalia di mano antica sarebbero, secondo una nota scritta su un foglio di guardia, dei Antonio Maria Salvini, 1653-1729, celebre ellenista fiorentino che ha lasciato apprezzate traduzioni di Omero, Esiodo, Anacreonte, Teocrito e altri autori classici.

Small 4to, 215x148 mm. Eighteenth-century Italian binding, half parchment with corners, smooth back with title in a golden gusset, spotted cuts. Pages [24, including Engraved Title Page], 218, [20]. Title-page engraved by Matthaeus Greuter, a portrait of Persius and six figures in the text, one of which is a full page. Marginalia of ancient hand. Small gallery of woodworm on the end-papers and on the first three sheets, including the Title-page; some page with evenly browning, some slight dampstains, a small loss in the margin of the M4 leaf.
Rare first illustrated edition. This is the first work that contains images of organisms seen through the microscope. Of notable importance are the representations engraved by Stelluti of the anatomy of the bee and the weevil. Garrison-Morton: “First book to contain illustrations of natural objects as seen through the microscope, specifically an engraving of the exterior surface of bees.”In 1624 Galilei had sent a microscope to Cesi, another exponent of the Lincei, and most probably this was the instrument used by Cesi and Stelluti to outline the unpublished and pioneering images of magnified insects. Freedburg: “The full-page image of a magnified bee (p. 52), showing minute details of the antennae, legs, sting, head and tongue, "still has the capacity to arouse the wonder of modern experts.” On page 127 is a smaller illustration of a magnified grain weevil, including a detail of the tip of the insect’s snout and mandibles. This translation by Francesco Stelluti of the works of the Latin poet Persio is dedicated to the powerful cardinal Francesco Barberini in an attempt to obtain the patronage of the cardinal for the Accademia dei Lincei.” According to a note written on a end-paper, the marginalia of an ancient hand are of the Antonio Maria Salvini, 1653-1729, a famous Florentine Hellenist who left appreciated translations of Homer, Hesiod, Anacreon, Theocritus and other classical authors.