861 - PREISLER JOHANN DANIEL (1666-1737)

PREISLER JOHANN DANIEL (1666-1737) Osnovatel'nyye pravila ili kratkoye rukovodstvo k risoval'nomu khudozhestvu (Thorough Rules or a Concise Guide to the Art of Drawing): in 3 parts. St. Petersburg, 1781. [18], [15], [10] pp., [49 of 54 plates]; 37.5 x 24 cm. Print run of 600 copies. Title and text in parallel Russian and German. In a contemporary full leather binding. In good condition. Rubbing to the binding, tears to the leather along the edges of the spine, endpapers renewed, stains and soiling to the text block, restoration and tears to some pages and plates, 5 plates missing. A fragment of a contemporary presentation inscription survives on the endpaper: ‘To Mr Akim Fedotov Vasilevsky, painter’. Page-by-page ownership inscription of the same owner. Johann Daniel Preisler (1666-1737), draughtsman and painter, was director of the drawing academy in Nuremberg, for which this manual, which became widely known, was compiled. It was the first Russian book on the visual arts, first printed in 1734, and for a long time it remained one of the main drawing manuals in the Russian Empire. Literature: SK XVIII, no. 5636; Sopikov, no. 8830; Obolyaninov, no. 2194. Upon the buyer’s request, we are pleased to provide a general condition report for the Lot described above. However, as we are not professional conservators or restorers, we strongly advise prospective buyers to conduct their own inspection or consult a specialist or restorer of their choice for a comprehensive professional assessment. Any condition descriptions provided in the catalogue or through any correspondence are for guidance only and should not be considered a substitute for a firsthand evaluation. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD ‘AS IS’ IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE PUBLISHED IN THE CATALOGUE.