Details
ARTILLERY BOOK -- FUNDAMENTUM ARTILLERIE is ein kurzer aber doch gründlicher Unterricht wornach sich ein Büchsenmeister oder Feuerwerker, so nicht in der Geometrie erfahren, richten, und was nothwendig er wissen muss, lerne er vor denselben ..., [The Fundamentals of Artillery, a short but thorough instruction for masters of gunnery or fireworks], MANUSCRIPT ON PAPER (early 18th century).
Oblong 4° (145 x 195mm.), 339 leaves (including 32 blank leaves and further blank leaves at beginning and end, large folding frontispiece, in colours (some tears in fold repaired with minor loss of image), 188 plates or illustrations, including 29 in watercolour, 142 with one and sometimes 2 overslips, 22 folding and 17 others, mostly full-page, (some torn in folds, some overslips detached). Contemporary calf over paper boards, with initials and date "F.K. Ao - 1704" stamped on upper cover.
A remarkably detailed guide to early 18th-century artillery. The plates, mostly ink and wash, depict cannon barrels (24), different types of rockets with overslips showing their construction (21), similarly grenades and cannon balls and petardes (100), rockets for fireworks (39), rocket holders (2), cannon hoists and supports (4), mechanism (6), various instruments for servicing guns, including gunpowder mills (2), equipment for cleansing (4), etc. We have been unable to discover the author of this work, although the name of the dedicatee may be hidden in the series of capital letters on the frontispiece.
Oblong 4° (145 x 195mm.), 339 leaves (including 32 blank leaves and further blank leaves at beginning and end, large folding frontispiece, in colours (some tears in fold repaired with minor loss of image), 188 plates or illustrations, including 29 in watercolour, 142 with one and sometimes 2 overslips, 22 folding and 17 others, mostly full-page, (some torn in folds, some overslips detached). Contemporary calf over paper boards, with initials and date "F.K. Ao - 1704" stamped on upper cover.
A remarkably detailed guide to early 18th-century artillery. The plates, mostly ink and wash, depict cannon barrels (24), different types of rockets with overslips showing their construction (21), similarly grenades and cannon balls and petardes (100), rockets for fireworks (39), rocket holders (2), cannon hoists and supports (4), mechanism (6), various instruments for servicing guns, including gunpowder mills (2), equipment for cleansing (4), etc. We have been unable to discover the author of this work, although the name of the dedicatee may be hidden in the series of capital letters on the frontispiece.