4to, (194 x 140 mm). Engraved title, 8 ff., 162 ff., 17-38 ff., 21 ff., 26 ff., 16 ff., 18 ff., 12 ff. (table and colophon), including 8 full-page plates. Contemporary limp vellum, recased and restored, ties renewed, spine lettered in ink, small piece of vellum missing from spine. Cleaned and pressed, engraving after f.162 with upper margin restored, ink stain to upper corner of last two quires, last leaf with lower corner restored away from text.

“This scholarly treatise is arranged in the form of dialogues, in which Art as an entity, explains and defends its position in life. In addition to some verses by Juan Perez de Montalvan, Juan Fernandez de Ayuso and Joseph de Valdivielso, there is a section entitled Memorial Informatorio por los Pintores en el pleyto que tratan con el Sefior Fiscal de Su Magestad en el Real Consejo de Hazienda, sobre exempcion del Arte de la pintura, which comprises papers by Lope de Vega, Luis Vander Hamen and others in favour of painting as an art which should be exempt from taxation. It is interesting to note that the original manuscript dissertation by Lope de Vega is in our possession. The work is especially important because it contains accounts of 'Spanish artists, collections of paintings which existed in the seventeenth century and of paintings which are now lost.” (Maggs ‘Books printed in Spain and Spanish books printed in other countries’, 1927).

"Actualmente es muy difícil hacerse con un ejemplar perfecto de esta obra" (Palau).

Vicente Carducho (Florence 1578 - Madrid, 1638) came to Madrid as a young child, where he was educated at the court of Phillip III together with his brother Bartholome. At his brother's death Vincente became the official court painter and finished his brother's work at the Prado. Until the arrival of Velazquez Vicente was seen as the most important painter of the time. His work, dedicated to Phillip IV, "est un excellent traité qui prolongeait son enseignement et son influence" (Benezit).

“Le notizie sparse in quest'opera sono preziose specialmente intorno ai Palazzi di Spagna, e servirono di scorta a posteriori trattati Spagnuoli. Si parla ivi di alcuni discori inediti mirabilissimi di Michelangelo che ora o sono perduti o giacciona sconosciuti non senza gran danno e desiderio dell'arte. Carducho e un Fiorentino d'origine (Carducci) stabilitosi da giovine alla Corte di Spagna" (Cicognara, 98).

Palau 44114; Salva 25641. Arntzen & Rainwater, H 59. Summa Artis. XXXI, pag 212. Las estampas forman parte integrante del texto. S.Sebastian, Contrarreforma y barroco, pag 52 y ss. Salvá, 2564. Heredia: 790. Juan de Jauregui: "Memorial de Carducho" Madrid 1633. Carducho, Vicente. "dialogos de la pintura..." (1633). Ed. Gregorio Cruzada Villaamil. Madrid: Galiano, 1865. Also Ed. Francisco Calvo Serraller. Madrid: Turner, 1979. (Campa, nº 73). Fuentes de la historia del arte II. Calvo Serralller y Portús. Pág. 117.