PBA Galleries

[10], 792, [72] pp. Title page printed in black and red. Copper engraved frontispiece and additional illustrated title page. Hundreds of woodcut illustrations of plants throughout.. (Folio) 35x22 cm (13¾x8¾"), period full blind-tooled pigskin over wooden boards, decorative brass corner and center pieces (lacking 1 corner piece), brass clasps (1 clasp lacking).

Mattioli (1501-1577) was personal physician to Ferdinand I. His herbal was first issued in German in 1563, the original woodblocks were used for subsequent printings. Prior to this 1678 edition revised by Verzascha (who was personal physician to the bishop of Basel) the woodblocks were used in a 1626 Frankfurt edition. The useful index lists plant names in German, Greek, Latin, French, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, and English. Nissen BBI, 1211; Pritzel 5990.