Epitoma Chyromantico. Nel Quale Se Contiene Tutte l'Opere per Esso Tricasso in Questa Scientia Composte, con Assai Figure, & Dichiarationi Agiunte. Facilissimo As Imparare, & in Breuissimo Tempo.
Venice: Per Agostino de Bindoni, 1538. Hardcover. Small Octavo. 344pp. Signatures: A-X8 Y4. Old (eighteenth century?) quarter leather, with varnished patterned paper covered boards, and leather spine with leather title label between gilt rules. Edged speckled. Large woodcut vignettes on title-page, verso of title page, and at colophon. Imprint and year of publication in colophon. As with all recorded copies of this edition, the year of publication at the end of the author's Foreword is misprinted as 1635 whereas it should be 1535, the year of the first Italian edition of this title (see for example the listing in the Brit. Mus. cat.). 78 large (generally 3/4 page) woodcuts of hands. Brunet V 945; Caillet 10830. An early Italian language edition of "Epitoma Chyromantico," a book which gained renown as one of the most influential works on chiromancy (palmistry) to come out of the 16th century. The author, Tricasso (1491-c.1550), was a disciple of the famous physiognomist Barthélemy Coclès, although he disagreed with his mentor on a number of matters, not least Coclès uncharitable comments about other palmists, and also some of his astrological attributions. After several introductory chapters, Tricasso's books offers a detailed survey of the different marks to be found on hands, with accompanying illustrations. The interpretations are sometimes at odds with those of later palmistry - the art was in its infancy at the time and there was no general agreement on many of the principles - but give interesting insight into chyromancy as it was first conceived. Boards rounded at points, and spine rubbed and with a couple of worm holes. Small, modern bookplate on front pastedown, crack between front end-paper and title page, but binding still solid. Title page darkened and a little chipped at edges, occasional light discoloration of the pages throughout. One or two small worm holes running through the upper margin of twenty or so leaves, with a few neat, early paper repairs. Small ink stamped number repeated a number of times on last blank and rear pastedown. No other markings. Over all a tight, clean VG copy, of a rare early work. Item #38724
Price: $2,250.00