VELAZQUEZ, PAINTER and COURTIER

New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. Diego De Velazquez, born in Seville in 1599, was one of the great European artists of any age. His work continues to be praised and emulated by painters today more than 300 years after his death. First edition, second printing. About 10 1/2 x 13 1/2 inches, 322 pages including over 300 illustrations, many full page and in full-color. Also Appendices, notes, bibliographical essay and select bibliography and an index. Bound in dark-brown cloth-covered boards with gold lettering on spine. Dustjacket's front panel illustration is detail from portrait of "Juan de Pareja" (NY Metropolitan Museum of Art) and back panel shows "Las Meninas" (Madrid, Museo del Prado). This is an ex-library copy with some library markings on fep and text edges as well as tape residue on both boards where dustjacket was affixed. That said, at least four of the library markings including bar code strip, dewey decimal and "oversize" stickers, were attached to the dj's protective mylar covering, which has been replaced with new, stickerless mylar protection. O/w boards show only light wear along edges and at corners. Binding is beginning to lossen, hinges to crack, not unusual in book this size and age. O/w this copy is complete, clean, and unmarked with a touch of age-toning in text margins. Dj, protected by mylar from library acquisition, shows only light edge wear with exception of single, 1-&-3/4 inch, closed tear along fold between front panel and front fold. In addition to the illustrations, this book is packed with detailed information on the artist, his life and times, and his work. Copies are increasingly scarce. [Due to the book's size & weight, priority/express orders or orders from outside the U.S. will require additional postage.]