La métoposcopie [...]. Comprise en treize livres, et huit cens figures de la face humaine. A laquelle a esté adjousté, le Traicté des marques naturelles du corps, par Melampus [...]. Le tout traduit en françois, par le sieur C.M. de Laurendière docteur en médecine.

Folio : [8]-viii-225-[2]-[3 bl.] pp. (right margin of title and first quires waterstained, minor spotting, tiny marg. wormtrack in the first ff.).

Contemp. limp vellum, flat spine titled in ink (few tears on covers, small part of front cover rubbed, front flyleaf lacking). Good copy.

First French translation by Claude-Martin de Laurendière of "Metoposcopia libris XIII" (ed. by Jolly the same year) by the Renaissance physician and scientist Cardano (1501-1576). It describes a form of divination whose purpose is to predict the personality, character and destiny of the observed subject, by analysing the drawing of lines, wrinkles and marks on his/her forehead. Ill. with 766 numb. woodcuts in text and 3 full-page pl. At end the "Divination" of Melampus (pp. 222-225), in Greek and French. Large woodcut printer's mark on title.
Ref. Wellcome II:300. - Krivatsy 2149. - Bibliotheca Esoterica 622. - Caillet 2019. - BnF. - Not in Goldsmith, Opac KBR.
Prov. Frederik Verachter (1797-1870), Municipal archivist of Antwerp (ms. ownership entry on title).