Hortus sanitatis.

first edition printed in italy, 3 parts in one volume, folio (300 x 200mm.), black letter, printed in two columns, title within Tacuino's floriated border, full-page woodcut of a group of physicians on verso of title, 1062 column-width woodcut illustrations in the text, 528 of plants, the remainder of animals and genre scenes, full-page woodcut of a skeleton on verso of first divisional title, full-page woodcut of physicians examining flasks on verso of second divisional title, seventeenth-century calf-backed boards, without final blank, first leaf crudely repaired, a few leaves browned, binding rubbed, spine worn with loss, upper cover becoming detached

Adams H1016; Hunt 12; Mortimer Italian 238; Nissen BBI 2368

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

a good copy. The woodcuts are reverse copies of Prüss's set used in several editions printed at Strassburg. Two full-page cuts depict physicians in consultation, one based on that in Ketham's Fascicolo di medicina, the other repeated from a 1504 Venice edition of Guillelmus de Saliceto, Chirurgia. Original to this edition, as a supplement to the section De urinis, is the pseudo-Galen tract De facile acquisibilibus. As detailed by Mortimer, composition was divided between Benalius's and Tacuinus's shops, the former setting thirty of the quires, and the latter twenty-eight. The fine four-part title-page border with dolphins was part of Tacuinus's stock, first used by him a few months earlier for his edition of Vitruvius. In Mortimer's words, "it was one of the most influential pieces of [book] ornamentation of the sixteenth century", being copied in several formats by many other Renaissance printers.