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CATTANEO, Giovanni Battista. Tavole nuove a modo di almanaco, per trovare con il giuoco di tre dadi perpetuamente il far della luna, le feste mobili, la lettera dominicale, l aureo numero, il ciclo solare, l indittione, et l epatta; con molt altre cose utili, e necessarie alla giornata, come nella tavola si vede. Opera degna, et talmente capace che ogni persona se ne potrà comodamente servire. Brescia, Appresso Tomaso Bozzola (colophon: Vincenzo di Sabbio for Bozzola), 1566. £5000 FIRST AND ONLY EDITION. Folio. *4 A-G6, ff. [iv] 42. Roman and Italic letter. T-p with nice woodcut vignette of a gryphon, holding a platen press and a winged sphere hanging from a chain, within an armorial shield decorated with masks at extremities and satires at sides, topped by two putti holding garlands which flank the composition; elaborated headpiece to preface, probably illustrating the imposing coat of arms of the Counts of Porcia e Brugnara between the figure of a knight, to the left, and a lady looking in a mirror, to the right (most likely representing Silvio and Camilla di Porcia e Brugnara, to whom this work is dedicated); small historiated initials, each numbered leaf with tables on both sides. Some light soiling, corners of two leaves skilfully repaired (no loss of text), bound in early vellum over boards with ink title and date to spine. This is the first and only edition of this curious astrological work, which the author defines as a three-dice game provided of several tables, which allows one to read and foresee the cycle of the moon, and to compute and established the dates of the moveable feasts, the dominical letter, the golden ratio, the solar cycle, and the epact in order to determine the exact recurrence of Easter. Giambattista Cattaneo was an astrologer from Novara (now Piedmont). He was son to Girolamo, the famous Renaissance military architect and theoriser of techniques of war in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who chose the then Venetian city of Brescia as his home of choice. Adams C 1017; INAUR (Cattaneo, Giovanni Battista); NUC (Cataneo, G.B.). Riccardi I 511: Raro . Not in BM STC Italian. Seller Inventory # ABE-1521221017363
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