Architecture.- Vitruvius Pollio (Marcus) Architecture ou Art de bien bastir, translated by Jean Martin, first edition in French, collation: A⁴ A-Z⁶ Aa-Cc⁶ A-D⁶, with blank 2C6 but lacking final blank D6, woodcut portrait to title and final f. verso, numerous woodcut illustrations, some full-page, F4 with additional printed sheet pasted to fore-edge to make folding woodcut illustration (repaired at fold), first few ff. lightly creased at upper inner corner, a few instances of annotation in an early hand, marginal damp-staining, mainly to lower-margin with lower blank corner subsequently frayed near start, some light soiling, 17th century vellum, covers with central gilt-tooled oval, spine with raised bands and small gilt stamp of 3 fleur-de-lis and winged crown, g.e., rebacked preserving original backstrip, rubbed and stained, endpapers preserved but repaired, [Adams V912; Pettegree 51344], folio (377 x 240mm.), Paris, Jacques Gazeau, 1547.

⁂ First edition of the first French translation. The majority of the illustrations are by Jean Goujon, with others taken from the 1511 Venice and 1521 Como editions. The woodcut portrait on the title is generally considered to be the translator Jean Martin or possibly the printer Jean Barbé. Barbé died while the book was in preparation, and the name in the title imprint is of his brother-in-law and business partner.

Provenance: "donné par Monsieur Le Marquis de Manneville en 1685 a Guill. Gondrée pour lors Chanoine de Sauqueville. Et du depuis ?Doien, présenté par Mons. Le Comte de Manneville en 1689. Gouverneur de Dieppe" (inscription to pastedown).