Vasari, Giorgio.

3 volumes in 2, 4to, title-pages within architectural woodcut border including a view of the city of Florence, woodcut illustration, nineteenth-century vellum gilt, hinge of volume 1 cracked

Ida Agassiz Higginson (daughter of the Swiss naturalist Louis Agassiz), bought in Florence in 1884, and given by her to Edward Waldo Forbes (founder of the Fogg Art Museum in Harvard) in 1925

Censimento 16 CNCE 34580

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."

first edition of vasari's seminal work of artistic biography concentrated on the three major arts, architecture, painting and sculpture. His emphasis on the artists of Florence and his coining of the term "Renaissance" ("rinascità") had a great influence upon later art historians and the concept of the artistic Florentine Renaissance.

As a biographer Vasari resorted to using gossip and scandal as sources for his work but he produced an invaluable mine of information about artists who would otherwise have been unknown and ignored, as well as about the giants of Italian Renaissance art.