Le vite de più eccellenti pittori, scultori, e architettori scritte da m. Giorgio Vasari pittore et architetto aretino, di nome dal medesimo riviste et ampliate con i ritratti loro et con l’aggiunta delle Vite de’ vivi, & de’ morti dall’anno 1550 insino al 1567 Firenze, Appresso i Giunti, 3 volumi

This is the second edition of the exceedingly famous biography of artists written by Giorgio Vasari. First published in 1550, the volume remains one of the most significant sources for the study of the artists of the late Medieval and Renaissance periods. The publication of the Vite (The Lives) met with immediate public enthusiasm even before Vasari's death, as proven by the publication of this second edition in which the author expanded upon the texts and added the artist portrait; these hadn't been included in the first edition and represent one of the first examples of artist portraiture. For greater ease of consultation, Vasari also added indexes by artist, “location of work” and “the most noteworthy elements” at the start of each volume. This copy of Vite Vasariane was part of the private library of Antoine Duchense (1708 - 1795), a high-ranking official at the court of the King of France, as the “ex-libris” bookplate inserted in each of the three volumes demonstrates.