Het eerste ((-den vijfsten)) Boeck van de Architecturen Sebastiani Serlii [...] Over-gheset uyt d'Italiaensche in de Neder-duytsche sprake, door Pieter Coecke van Aelst, doen der tijdt Schilder der K. Majesteyt.

Amsterdam, Hendrick Laurensz., 1616. 5 parts in one volume. Folio. A--C4, D1-2; A-G4; A-R4, S1-6; A-S4; A-D4. Titlepage and first sheet (A1 & A2) browned and heavily restored & small tear in one page. Apart from the first two sheets a good copy. Bound with: BLOEM or BLUM, HANS. Beschryvinghe van de vijf colomnen van Architecture/. Te weten: Tuscana/ Dorica/ Jonica/ Corinthia ende Composita. Vel deur-grondeert ende gheconterfeyt naer de rechte Simmetrie ende constighe mate van Metselrye, deur den experten M. Hans Bloem, met grooter neer-sticheydt ghetrocken uyt de Antiquiteyten. Van nieuws oversien/ en van veele fauten ghebetert. Tot voordeel/ dienst ende profijt van Schilders/ Metsers/ Steenhouwers/ Goudtsmeden/ Beeldtsnyders/ Schrijn-werckers/ Timmerlieden/ Antijck-snijders/ ende allen anderen die met Passer ende Winckelhaeck werken. Amsterdam, Willem Jansz. [Blaeu], 1619. Folio. Printed title, 1 f. with preface of Hans Bloem to the reader, 15 ff containing woodcut illustrations and printed explanations. Bound together in contemporary full vellum (top of spine damaged, ties missing).

Two important works bound together: Ad 1. Dutch edition of the first 5 books (all that appeared in the author's lifetime) of a monumental work of Renaissance architecture by Sebastiano Serlio. Ad 2. One of the most interesting (but also one of the least known) treatises on the orders which came out during the Renaissance. The European success of the book was astonishing: as early as 1551, a French translation which came out in Antwerp began a long series of re-issues in German, French, Dutch and English. Our copy lacks the last plate. [ad. 2: Bierens de Haan 403; Berlin Cat. 1937 (ed. 1623)]. First published in Latin in 1550, Blum's book, in its numerous editions in multiple languages proved to be one of the most popular architectural books for well over 100 years. Its continuing and longstanding success can be credited to the fact that with the exception of Serlio, of which Blum can be considered a digest, it was the only title readily comprehensibl to on-site architects and masons rather than gentlemen. All editions of Blum's books are very rare and even late editions harbor considerable interest. Blum was the originator of Northern European treatises on the Orders, which is distinguished by the fact that the Orders are treated in isolation, independent of their architectural context.