L’Arte De Cenni Con la Quale Formandos: Favella Visibile, Si Tratta Della Muta Eloquenza, che non e’ altro che un Faccondo Silento / Divisa in Due Parti

Giovanni Bonifaccio

Published by Appresso Francesco Grossi

About this Item

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SIGN LANGUAGE 4to. Bound in 20th century rustic boards, with marbled paper spine. In Vicenza, Appresso Francesco Grossi, 1616. First Edition. (Norman 264, Garrison-Morton 3344, and Krivatsy 1516). "Bonifacio's 'book is one of the earliest to be published in Europe that is devoted exclusively to gesture. It was published in Vicenza in 1616 under the following title which, as will be seen, provides a good summary of the aims and contents of the work: "'The Art of Signs with which a visible language is formed, deals [dealing] with the mute expressiveness that is none other than an eloquent silence. It is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the signs that are made by us by the parts of our body, revealing their meanings which are confirmed by famous authors. In the second part it is shown how all the liberal and mechanical arts make use of this knowledge. New material pertinent for all men and particularly for Princes who, because of their dignity, make themselves understood more with signs than with words.'" Adam Kendon Gesture: Visible Action as UtteranceGiovanni Bonifacio practiced as a lawyer and magistrate in several cities, including Venice. He wrote plays, some poetry, and a history of the city of Treviso, several legal treatises, a short book on the Republic of the Bees â?¦ (1627) and a book on the Liberal and Mechanical Arts as they have been Demonstrated by Irrational Animals to Humans (1628). L'Arte de Cenni â?¦, aside from his history of Treviso, remains his most original (and curious) book. "L'Arte de Cenni â?¦is an attempt to describe all the signs that it is possible to make with the body, and it also considers significations made through clothing. Bonifacio believed that 'as one knows the will of the master through the actions of his servants, so from bodily actions one can comprehend the inclinations of the soul, and from the acts, gestures, and bearing of bodily members our internal feelings can be conjectured" (p. 17, trans. Kendon). He believed that bodily signs reveal more clearly and truthfully than words a person's feelings and intentions. At the same time, however, he believed that if one can master the art of using the body to make signs one can control the impression that one makes on other people. Title page with minor toning, o/w leaves are clean, with full margins; pages untrimmed with deckle edges throughout.

Seller Inventory # 7212

Bibliographic Details

• Title: L?Arte De Cenni Con la Quale Formandos: Favella Visibile, Si Tratta Della Muta Eloquenza, che non e? altro che un Faccondo Silento / Divisa in Due Parti
• Publisher: Appresso Francesco Grossi
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good