CARCANO Francesco Tre Libri degli uccelli da preda. Ne quali si contiene la vera cognitione dell’arte de stuccieri, & il modo di coniscere, ammaestriare, reggere, & medicare tutti gli angelli di rapina. Con un trattao de’ cani del medesimo.

Souhart, 86; Schwerdt, I, 94; Frank, I, 110 (later edition).

First edition under this title, of the best-known and most authoritative of 16th century Italian books on falconry, the breeding and training of falcons, their ailments, etc. first printed in Venice by Giolito in 1568 as Tre libri degli uccelli da rapina, also consisting of 249 pages.

“Carcano states in his Preface that this treatise is the result of forty years’ experience as a falconer, and the perusal of all the Italian and French books he could find relating to Falconry [.] The author’s reputation as a falconer caused this book to become very popular, and it not only passed through several editions [.], but was extensively copied by subsequent writers, as, for example, Raimondi and Turberville” (Harting, p. 142f.).

“An interesting treatise on falcons and sporting dogs, with remedies for their diseases” (Schwerdt).

As the title indicates, this work is divided into three main parts, the first of which, in 52 chapters, gives details on the choice of species suitable for hunting and their training (p. 1-90). The second book (p.91-155) goes into detail on the specific hunting of falcons in 39 chapters. The third and last book (p.156-240) deals in 31 chapters with the diseases of birds of prey and their remedies. This treatise is illustrated with a large engraving showing the instruments needed for the delicate operations of cauterization. The book concludes with a brief treatise on remedies for diseases of hunting dogs.

The iconography is completed by the printer’s mark featuring a phoenix, a larger version of which is printed on the last leaf. The text is decorated with numerous large figurative initials.

Brunet and Souhart mention an edition dated 1547, unknown to other bibliographers and which we have been unable to trace in any institutional libraries (it does not appear in the British Library catalogue, nor in the Karlsruhe KVK electronic catalogue). It does not seem to exist, probably confused with Federico Giorgi’s work.

A choice copy

A very fine, clean copy in an exquisite contemporary gilt vellum binding of Carcano’s work which can be considered the best of the classic books on Italian falconry, both practical and technical for the period in which it was published.

It bears the handwritten bookplate of a Spanish convent on the title “Del Convento de Veles”, as well as the library label on the spine. The convent of Vélez, located in Malaga, was founded in 1702.

Other provenances: Henri Gallice (ex-libris. Despite this provenance, no book by Carcano appears in Thiébaud’s bibliography) – Marcel Jeanson (ex-libris, lot 107 of the library sale in Monaco in 1987) – Hubert Lebaudy (ex-libris).