Maistre Jean Covsin - La vraye science de la pourtraicture descrite et demontrée - 1656

Extremely rare - A rare first? edition of Jean Cousin, a 16th century French painter, Science du portrait. Originally intended to be an instruction manual on drawing the human form, it quickly became extremely famous. No other book is as famous or well-known in the field of artistic anatomy. Woodcuts represent the human body in parts and in whole. Maistre Jean Cousin - La vraye science de la pourtraicture descrite et démontrée - 1656 (? printed title page) Representing by an easy instruction several planes - figures of all separate parts of the human body: Together the whole figures, both men and women - small children, front-end, wire, back, with proportions, measurements - dimensions of cells. . . Binding in good condition, book in its 19th century half brown leather in good condition. Covers in good condition. Smooth plain spine. Decent headcap and tailcap. Solid hinges. Solid binding- Good interior condition, incomplete of the title page, several preliminary sheets, 5 plates and the last sheet. There are 33 sheets which are numbered for the most part. Illustrated work of 31 planks engraved on full-page wood, with the text on the opposite side. Scattered foxing. Skilful restorations, usually in the margins with unobtrusive transparent paper on a few pages of text and on some boards. Restoration with a gap to the last board. -