First edition of one of the earliest printed books about colour, translated from the Greek into Latin and with commentary by the Neapolitan physician and philosopher Simone Porzio (1497-1554). Usually attributed to Aristotle, it is now thought to be the work of the peripatetic scholar and pupil of Aristotle, Theophrastus.
''As the author states at the end of the treatise, it is intended rather to supply data for a detailed examination into the scientific theory of colour than to expound a complete thesis. He has realized that the development of colour in animals and plants depends to some extent on heat, and he seems to suggest that heat and moisture are the controlling factors. It is of more value as a collection of observed facts than for any theory of the origin and development of colour in physical life'' (Aristotle, Minor Works, Cambridge and London, Loeb Classical Library, 1936, p. 3).
With some spotting on the title-page and some marginal tears, not approaching the text, but otherwise in very good condition and with large margins. Binding with the sewing supports broken, a tear in the backstrip and some small stains. An important treatise on colour and one of the earliest. Adams P1958; Caillet 8881; EDIT16, CNCE 16133; Hoffman I, 289 ("rare and very important"); Kemp, The science of art, p. 264; Schwab, Bibliographie d'Aristotle 3503; USTC 803281.