Cornelis Ploos van Amstel (1726-1798).

Aanleiding tot de kennis der anatomie, in de tekenkunst, betrekkelijk het menschbeeld. Nieuwe uitgave.

Amsterdam, S. de Grebber, [ca. 1826].

8°. 4, [4], IV, 12, 114 pp. With an engraved vignette at the head of the dedication and 27 engraved plates (9 printed in sanguine, these are folding).

Contemporary half calf with marbled sides, green morocco title shield, marbled endpapers.

Very rare second edition of Cornelis Ploos van Amstel’s artists’ manual for anatomical drawing, that was first published in 1783. Our copy with a four-page publisher’s advertisement of S. de Grebber bound in before the title. S. de Grebber was the only Dutch publisher specialized in artists’ manuals. The only two other copies that we traced of this second edition (Dutch National Library; Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden) do not have the publisher’s advertisement.
The title-page has no date, but the Dutch National Library dates it 1818, based on the year in which S. de Grebber started publishing. However, the publisher’s advertisement in our copy calls for the title Verhandeling over de schilderkunst to soon appear, which was published 1827, thus dating the present second edition ca. 1826.
The plates depict individual body parts: torso, arms, legs etc. The plates are very finely line-engraved and 9 are printed in blood red (sanguine). Ploos van Amstel was a pioneer in colour printing techniques. For the last 9 plates he applied the red colour to show the muscles, instead of the black colour that signified the bones in the previous plates.

Condition: faintly (finger)soiled throughout; hinges weak, covers slightly rubbed. Otherwise in very good condition.

Reference: for the first edition: Kunst op schrift: 1099 [4to] & 1100 [8vo].