[17], [1] blank, xii, 519. [1] pp. 33 copperplate engravings included in pagination and 2 folding inserted plates (engravings by Francesco Zucchi after Cignaroli); numerous additional in-text engravings and woodcuts. (Folio) 14¾x9¼, contemporary full calf with later repair and restoration to front joint and corners, morocco title label. First Edition.
Maffei (1675-1755) traveled to Oxford in 1736, where he obtained the degree of doctor and was later received in London by the most noted men of the day. In the same year he returned by way of Holland and Germany to Verona, where he remained, save for occasional absences, and where he built a museum, which, together with his valuable collections, he bequeathed to his native city. This, his major work, describes in exhaustive detail the inscriptions found on vases, cameos, statuary, bas-reliefs, coins, and the like, and provides copious information on the origins of his collections. Along with the works of other Italian artists, including Piranesi, Museum Veronense was influential in forming a taste for neoclassicism in 18th century England. Previously in the private library of Count Andrezej Zamoyski (Polish noble, b. 1716), with his stamped insignia on the half-title and title pages.