316 - Fabretti, Raffello. *De columna traiani syntagma*. Rome, Tinassi, 1683. First edition of a scholarly treatise

Fabretti, Raffello. *De columna traiani syntagma*. Rome, Tinassi, 1683. First edition of a scholarly treatise Fabretti, Raffello. *De columna traiani syntagma*. Rome, Tinassi, 1683. Folio (320 x 215 mm); [2], 420, [62] pages. Title page with a large woodcut printer’s mark depicting a hedgehog; over 130 woodcut illustrations in the text, including 3 full-page illustrations; 2 double-page copperplate plates outside the text (small tears on the first few pages, foxing.) Contemporary brown calfskin binding, 6-rib spine with gold decoration and title, wheel-carved headband, marbled edges (hinges damaged). Of particular interest is the panoramic view of Lake Fucino, which was permanently drained in 1875, and the numerous woodcuts depicting architectural plans, orders of columns, weapons and tools, coins, and ships. Appointed archivist of Castel Sant’Angelo, Fabretti (1618–1700) was able to deepen his studies of classical sculpture, devoting particular attention to the bas-reliefs of Trajan’s Column. The work is considered one of the most important and rigorous 17th-century studies on the subject. First edition of a scholarly treatise