Lot 216
![[Venette, Nicholas de]](https://media.app.artisio.co/media/104cbde6-0d38-43cb-9e0f-bb721ef57bcf/inventory/299af5fa-5348-45c6-b9b8-e13d61fec744/1f4e1775-9be3-4b28-a481-7164a5d02042/0001_WSTOcr_original.jpg)
[Venette, Nicholas de]
Mysteries of Conjugal Love Reveal'd
Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs
Auction: 07 February 2024 from 10:00 GMT
Description
London: John Chomley, 1703. First edition in English, 8vo, collates: [8], 496, with several annotations, previous ownership signature cut from title-page, dampstaining and spotting, text block split and leaves loose, old repair to the binding
Footnote
Rare. The first English edition of Nicolas de Venette's Tableau de l’amour conjugal, ou l'Histoire complète de la génération de l’homme, considered to be the first treatise on sexology in the West. The work covers sex, conception and foetal development, before addressing issues such as divorce and whether the application of charms can cause impotence or infertility. Written from a clearly male perspective (although not completely diminishing female pleasure), the annotations in the text, written in an early hand, seem to be agreeing with and refuting de Venette's writing from a female perspective, such as page 26, noting that "women have so much more pleasure than men..." Clearly a well read and used volume.