SIEMIENOWICZ Kazimierz, Grand Art D'Artillerie Par le Sieur Casimir Siemienowicz Chevalier Litvanien; Iadis Lieutenant General de l'Artillerie dans le Royaume de Pologne. Mise en François par Piere Noizet Macerien....

Grand Art D'Artillerie Par le Sieur Casimir Siemienowicz Chevalier Litvanien; Iadis Lieutenant General de l'Artillerie dans le Royaume de Pologne. Mise en François par Piere Noizet Macerien.

Amsterodami 1651. apud Ioannem Ianssonium. (32 x 20.5 cm), p. [5 including 1 blank], p. 410, p. [3], frontispiece (within a non-countable), 21 plates in copperplate (including 1 typeset), period perg. binding.
(Estr. T. 28). Dedication by the author: Guillaume Frideric Conte de Nassau, signed by Siemienowicz. In it he calls this work "the first part" (more did not come out.) A great work on artillery, translated into many languages, aroused great interest for decades. Here is the French edition, and in Poland it was not published until 1963 under the title "The Great Art of Artillery Part One." In the era, the work attracted the interest of the Grand Crown Chancellor Jerzy Ossoliński and Wladyslaw IV, resulting in the author's trip to Belgium and the Netherlands to deepen his knowledge and the final edition of the work. One of the great achievements described here was the invention of the rocket, while information about fireworks at parties, anniversaries and celebrations contributed much to the history of customs in the Baroque era. The copperplate engravings included in the work, authored by Siemienowicz, mainly depict pyrotechnic and artillery instruments. Kazimierz Siemienowicz (c. 1600 - after 1651), a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman (of the Ostoja coat of arms) from a family settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, general, military engineer and artilleryman. Half a century after the publication of "Artillery..." a prominent French expert on the subject, A. Frezier wrote:"...I consider Siemienowicz, without a doubt, the greatest master technician." Claude Ruggieri (early 19th century) : "Casimir Siemienowicz should be considered the most distinguished and well-known author of our specialty, and although the work was written a century and a half ago, it continues to serve usefully as a source of information." Many other most prominent artillery theorists spoke in this vein. Binding with some scuffs and soiling, 1 plate with "A" marking missing, traces of non-moisture and stains. Good condition. Very rare.