NATALIS (Jerónimo Nadal, known as Hieronymus). Evangelicæ historiæ imagines. Antwerp, s.n. [Martin Nuyts], 1593. In-folio, red morocco, triple fillet, framed à la Du Seuil, ornate spine, inner lace, gilt edges (17th century binding). Magnificent suite of engravings from the "Natalis Bible", the most beautiful Flemish book of the late 16th century, consisting of a title-frontispiece engraved by Jérôme Wierix after Martin de Vos and 153 figures drawn mostly by the Roman painter Bernardo Passeri (125), but also by Jérôme Wierix (2), Martin de Vos (7) or unsigned (19), engraved in intaglio by the brothers Antoine, Jean and Jérôme Wierix for the most part, the others by Jean and Adrien Collaert and Charles de Mallery. This suite is "one of the finest series of engravings of the Flemish 16th century and one of the great works of graphic art", according to Pierre Berès. "The crowd effects, the depths of the fields, the profusion of detail, significant without detracting from the overall effect, and the lighting all combine to make these engravings true masterpieces. A second edition copy with double numbering of the plates; the second, in Roman numerals and in a different order, was used for the 1594 edition with the text. - Some plates have been subtly enhanced with gilt. Modern annotations in pencil in the margins of some plates. A copy in Du Seuil morocco of the Présidente de La Briffe, bearing this handwritten ex-dono on the first endpaper: Pour Madame la Présidente de La Briffe par son très humble serviteur Ph. Gouvreau. - This is almost certainly Marthe-Agnès Potier de Novion (†1686), daughter of the academician Nicolas Potier de Novion (1618-1693), president à mortier at the Parlement de Paris, and wife of the parliamentarian Arnaud II de La Briffe (1649-1700), successively maître des requêtes, président au Grand Conseil, procureur général au parlement de Paris, intendant de la généralité de Besançon puis de Rouen. From the Van der Elst library (1990, no. 113). Title and 17 plates rebacked, a few plates with shorter margins, minor restorations to a spine and two corners. Sommervogel, V, 1518 - Funck, 366-367 - Chatelain, n°77 - P. Berès, Livres à figures..., cat. 77, n°78.