[ΦΙΛΟΣΤΡΑΤΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΛΗΜΝΙΟΥ] PHILOSTRATE LEMNIEN: [ΕΙΚΟΝΕΣ] Les Images ou Tableaux de Peinture . Paris 1597 Second edition in French by Abel L’Angelier. In 4to (24 × 18 cm). Contemporary fine polished leather, miraculously well preserved with only very slight wear. Fine ornamental title page. Complete: [46], 998, [58] pp. Text clean and bright, with some isolated spotting in a few pages. Overall, a very good copy of this 16th-century landmark book. Philostratus (190–235), in his “Εἰκόνες” (“Images”), produced the only surviving ancient text devoted to Greek painting. The work, framed as the explanation of art, its symbols, and meaning to a young audience, most probably reflects an actual visit to a 3rd-century gallery filled with paintings. It had immense impact on the Renaissance and particularly influenced French painting of the 16th century. The text consists of 31 chapters, each devoted to a specific painting, and in this edition it is extensively annotated and analyzed by Blaise de Vigenère (1523–1596), who provides nearly 1,000 pages of commentary. One of the very first critical and analytical treatments of Philostratus’ Images.