In-folio (39,5 cm) (2) IX c. (di tav.) Cartoncino con carta marmorizzata. Tavole incise da Benard. Antenato diretto del tennis, il gioco della pallacorda, nato in Italia o in Francia nel XIII secolo, si praticava, come nel Padel, in campi delimitati e quindi era lecito il colpo di rimbalzo. Di grande diffusione nel XVIII secolo, viene tuttora praticato anche a livello professionistico. La serie di planche proviene dalla opera forse più importante per la storia del pensiero illuministico “Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers”, opera in 35 voll., di cui 11 di tavole, pubblicata a Parigi tra il 1751 e il 1772. Diretta da D. Diderot, intendeva esporre i progressi compiuti dall’umanità in tutti i campi, con particolare riguardo alla tecnica. Le voci furono scritte da letterati, specialisti, medici e ingegneri, tra cui J.-B. D’Alembert, Voltaire, C. Montesquieu, J.-J. Rousseau, E. Condillac. “Recueil de Planches, sur les sciences, lse arts liberaux, et les arts mechaniques, avec leur explication. Septieme livraison, ou huitieme volume. 254 planches. A Paris, chez Briasson, rue Saint Jacques, à la Science, 1771”. (EN) In-folio (39.5 cm) (2) IX c. (on plate) Cardboard with marbled paper. Plates engraved by Benard. Direct ancestor of tennis, the game of tennis, born in Italy or France in the 13th century, was practiced, as in Padel, in delimited fields and therefore the rebound shot was legal. Widespread in the 18th century, it is still practiced even at a professional level. The series of planche comes from perhaps the most important work for the history of Enlightenment thought “Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers”, a work in 35 volumes, of which 11 are tables, published in Paris between 1751 and 1772. Directed by D. Diderot, it intended to expose the progress made by humanity in all fields, with particular attention to technology. The entries were written by scholars, specialists, doctors and engineers, including J.-B. D’Alembert, Voltaire, C. Montesquieu, J.-J. Rousseau, E. Condillac. “Recueil de Planches, sur les sciences, lse arts liberaux, et les arts mechaniques, avec leur explication. Septieme livraison, ou huitieme volume. 254 planches. In Paris, chez Briasson, rue Saint Jacques, à la Science, 1771”.