William Aglionby — Painting Illustrated in Three Dialogues

London, Published by John Gain, for the Author, 1685 . First edition. Leather. The first edition of Aglionby"s important treatise on painting, one of the earliest substantial English works of art theory, with the biographies of eleven Renaissance artists and a glossary of artistic terms. In a contemporary calf binding, rebacked with modern calf, endpapers renewed, retaining first blank.  The first edition of Aglionby"s major work, described as the first original English book of its kind on painting. Written in three dialogues, this work argues for the primacy of Italian history painting and combines theoretical observations on the art with eleven biographies of Italian painters, from Cimabue and Giotto to Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian, and Donatello. Aglionby drew selectively on Vasari"s Lives, as well as writers including Bellori and Malvasia, reshaping his sources to promote his own view of painting and artistic hierarchy. Notable for its English artistic patriotism, Aglionby points to a revival of the arts after the Restoration, praising John Riley and Grinling Gibbons, and arguing that, although England had not excelled in history painting, it had achieved distinction in portraiture. He also gives favourable notice to several northern European artists, including Dürer, Holbein, Rubens, and Van Dyck. William Aglionby (1642-1705) was an English physician, diplomat, writer, and art historian who had travelled in Europe and was closely associated with the transmission of Italian art theory into 17th century England.  This work is notable as an early English attempt to treat painting not merely as craft, but as a learned and historically grounded art.  ESTC No.: R204285 [4] a4-c4 d2 A-3B4 3C2. Collated, complete.  In a contemporary calf binding, rebacked with modern calf, endpapers renewed, retaining first blank. Externally, generally smart. Slight rubbing and bumping to extremities resulting in slight loss to calf. Slight surface loss to contemporary calf boards with slight discolouration and the odd handling mark. Internally, firmly bound. Pages characteristically age toned with the odd spot, heavier to first and last few leaves. One or two sympathetic repairs to fore edge of first and last few leaves, including gutter of title page. Slight soiling to first and last few leaves. Ink ownership inscription to the head of the title page, dated Brussels, 1906. The odd spot of dmap staining to fore edge. Cockling to leaves. One or two pencil annotations from previous owner. Good . Ill.: None. Good .