De distillatione lib. IX.: Quibus certa methodo, multiplicique artificio, penitioribus naturae arcanis detectis, cuiuslibet mixti in propria elementa resolutio, perfectè docetur.

Rome: Printing-press of the Reverend Apostolic Camera,, 1608. The Professor of Secret's guide to alchemy First edition of Della Porta's influential treatise on the art of distillation, the most comprehensive overview of the subject in the 16th century, beautifully illustrated with a series of fine woodcuts depicting contemporary chemical apparatus. This copy in contemporary vellum is complete with Lauri's portrait, the best-known likeness of the author. With the present work, Della Porta expanded the section on distillation in book X of his most celebrated work, Magia Naturalis (1589). The art of distillation, as he explains in accordance with the alchemical tradition, consented to extract the essence from natural objects, in order to access and exploit their intrinsic virtues or faculties. In the first chapters of De distillatione, Della Porta presents a variety of distillation techniques using detailed illustrations of the required chemical equipment, such as furnaces, retorts, and condensers. A reference system of letters is used to describe the function of their different parts in text. At page 29 is one of the earliest representations of solar distillation equipment. The most curious illustrations depict vessels likened to animals based on their physical characteristics: a matrass is compared to an ostrich, and different flasks to a bird, a tortoise, a bear, and a pelican. The subsequent chapters are dedicated to the process of distilling specific substances, including scented waters extracted from flowers, essential oils from plants, resins, and woods (including "exotic plants" like cinnamon and cardamom). There are instructions on how to extract "aqua vitae", an alcoholic substance used as a medicine, from wine, and essential oils from amber, glass, and scorpions. One of the leading figures of the early Scientific Revolution, the Neapolitan polymath Giambattista Della Porta (1535-1615) wrote on a multitude of subjects, ranging from alchemy and chemistry to meteorology, cryptography, astrology, optics, and magic. In 1560 he founded the Academia Secretorum Naturae, one of the first scientific societies in Europe; it was later dissolved by Pope Paul V on suspicion of occultism. At the beginning of this work is Della Porta's most famous portrait, depicting the author surrounded by the objects of his numerous studies, as well as dedications to him in Hebrew, Greek, Chaldee, Persian, Illyrian, and Armenian. De distillatione was dedicated to the scientist Federigo Cesi, (1585-1630), founder of the prestigious Accademia dei Lincei in Rome; two years later, Cesi invited Della Porta to become a member. This work was reprinted the following year in Strasbourg; Ferguson notes that "the Roman edition is much the finer work" (p. 216), and "the portrait, as copied in the Strasbourg edition, is not only smaller but is inferior" (Duveen, p. 481). This copy has a pertinent late 17th-century provenance, from the rich library of the Franciscan cloister of Santa Maria del Gesù in Montefortino, founded around 1630, with the Latin ex libris on the title page: "Pertinet ad Con[ven]tu[m] S. Mariae Jesu Montis Fortini". Montefortino corresponds to modern Artena, a small town in the Metropolitan City of Rome, not far from where the book was originally printed. Small quarto (214 x 158 mm). Contemporary limp vellum, manuscript lettering and decoration to spine. Printer's device to title page, full-page engraved portrait by Lauri, numerous woodcut illustrations in the text; woodcut floriated initials, head- and tailpieces. Circular black ink stamp with initials "M.D.I.P.D.R.D.I.S" and "C.G." to title page (present in other works with the same Montefortino provenance, see note). Vellum a little soiled and creased, upper right corner of front cover worn, faint damp stain to upper margin of two initial gatherings and a few internal leaves, intermittent light marginal foxing, short closed tear to margin of N2, first two and final gatherings browned, otherwise generally bright; overall a crisp copy, beautifully preserved. Duveen, p. 481; Ferguson, pp. 215-6; Graesse V, p. 417; Krivatsy 9177; Norman 17256; USTC 4034341.