Cardano, Girolamo | De subtilitate

Cardano, Girolamo

De subtilitate. Lyon: Apud Gulielmum Rouillium, 1559

8vo (171 x 105 mm). Woodcut illustrations and ornaments; minor small stains, occasional browning, a few tiny wormholes very slightly affecting text, tear to lower corner of A4 costing a few letters. Half vellum and marbled paper-covered boards, spine gilt-lettered; edges rubbed, vellum dust-soiled, upper joint separated from top of text block.

Extensively illustrated. Girolamo Cardano received his medical degree in 1526, having studied at both Pavia and Padua. He became a lecturer in mathematics in Milan, where he entered the college of physicians and gained fame as an eminent medical practitioner. Cardano was the most prominent mathematician in Italian learned circles, with his books continuing the popular tone of his lectures. His De subtilitate is filled with experiments and inventions, among numerous anecdotes.

REFERENCES

Adams C672; Durling 848

PROVENANCE

Sotheby's New York, 20 May 2002, "A California Private Collection Including Science, Medicine and Travel," lot 34