Iulii Firmici Astronomicorum libri octo integri, & emendati, ex Scythicis oris ad nos nuper allati : Marci Manilii Astronomicorum libri quinque. Arati Phænomena Germanico Cæsare interprete cum commentariis & imaginibus. Arati eiusdem Phænomenon fragmentum Marco. T.C. interprete. Arati eiusdem Phænomena Ruffo Festo Auienio paraphraste. Arati eiusdem Phænomena Græce[.] Theonis commentaria copiosissima in Arati Phænomena Græce. Procli Diadochi Sphæra Græce[.] Procli eiusdem Sphæra, Thoma Linacro Britanno interprete

Description

Signatures: [*]⁶ a-g¹⁰ h¹² aa-hh¹⁰ ii-kk⁸ A-D¹⁰ E¹² F⁶ G-M¹⁰ N⁶ ²N¹⁰ O-S¹⁰ T⁸.


Imprint from the second colophon on T8r.


The first colophon on kk8r reads: Venetiis in ædibus Aldi Romani mensi Iunio.M.ID. [June 1499]


The second colophon on T8r reads: Venitiis cura, & diligentia Aldi Ro[mani]., Mense octob[ris]. M. ID.


Hain enters the work under the collective title: Scriptores astronomici veteres.


Edited by Pescennio Francesco Negro. A dedicatory letter addressed to Hippolytus d'Este appears on [*]2r-[*]3v.


On the verso of the title page [*]1v is a letter headed Aldus Manutius Romanus and dated: Venetiis decimosexto Calendas nouem. M. ID.


The privilege for Firmicus is so worded as not to conflict with that taken out by Beuilaqua for his 1497 edition.


The woodcut illustrations occur in the Latin text of Aratus and mostly derive from those in the editions of Hyginus produced by Ratdolt and others.


Texts in Greek and Latin, some translated from Greek into Latin.


Printed with 40 lines of Greek scholia surrounding the text.


Initial spaces with guide-letters.


Leaves E7 and K10 are blank.


Indexed in: ISTC no. if00191000.


Indexed in: BMC V 560; Goff F191; Hain 14559*.

Features

In pencil manuscript on the front pastedown: Very rare. No copy has occurred for many years. This copy is in a genuine Nuremberg binding - unusually fine preservation. Probably unique.


Very occasional marginal annotations in black ink manuscript.


Bindings


Early fifteenth-century binding of full calf over wooden boards. The upper and lower covers are blind-tooled with a border and frames of quadruple fillets. The outer frame contains blind-tooled decorated circles and the inner frame is blind-tooled with a repeating pattern of stylised foliage. The central panel is blind-tooled with sprays of flowers separated by lines of stylised foliage. At the outer corners of the upper cover are blind-stamped shields containing a winged eagle and a rider on horseback with a sword. At the outer corners of the lower cover are blind-stamped shields containing a winged eagle and a portcullis. Gold-tooled at the top of the upper cover are the words: Ivlivs Firmicvs. Gold-tooled at the base of the upper cover are the words: Haly Aben racel. Gold-tooled on the lower cover is the name of a former owner: Petri de Obornyky. In the centre of the upper and lower covers is a gold-tooled shield containing a wheel, the arms of Petri de Obornyky. The spine has five
raised bands. In the second panel is a pared brown leather lettering piece gold-tooled with a border of double fillets and the words: Aratus &c: Ven: Ald: 1499. The remaining panels are blind-tooled with five lines of stylised foliage. The book has metal cornerpieces and also metal furniture attached to the upper and lower covers at the head and tail near the joint with the spine. The book is fastened with two decorated metal clasps catching on the upper cover and there are 19 gold-coloured leather tabs on the fore-edge marking sections of the text. At the front and back of the book are two stubs of rubricated vellum manuscript. There is damage to the head and tail of the spine and the upper board is nearly detached. Size: 325 x 230mm. Leaf size: 315 x 220mm.


Bound with 1 other publication. Volume contents: 1. Scriptores astronomici veteres, 1499. -- 2. Ibn Abī al-Rijāl, Abū al-Ḥasan ʻAlī: De iudiciis astrorum libri octo, 1503.

Provenance

Written in black ink manuscript at the head of the recto of the title-page ([*]1r): Emptus hic liber Cracovie. Some words beneath this inscription have been rubbed out.


Written in black ink manuscript beneath the contents on the recto of the title-page ([*]1r): Petri Matthei Joannis de Obornÿkÿ Artiu[m] & Medicinæ Doctoris.


Written in black ink manuscript on leaf T7v: Doctoris Petri de Obornÿki Ciuis Cracovien.


A further inscription in black ink manuscript in the same hand beneath the colophon of the second publication bound in this book reads: Petri Vedelicij de Obornÿki Artiu[m] & Medicinȩ Doctoris. These inscriptions indicate that the book was owned by Piotr Wedelicki (d.1543) from Oborniki, Poland, who was professor of medicine and rector of the Cracow Academy and court physician of King Sigismund I the Old of Poland.


Coloured armorial bookplate of Sir Edward Allen Brotherton on the front pastedown. The book was most likely acquired before 17 June 1929 when Brotherton was created Baron Brotherton of Wakefield.

Access and usage

Access

Access to this material is unrestricted.

Related subjects / tags

WARNING: many of our records have not been classified by subject. So if you search our catalogue by subject using the links below then you are unlikely to find all relevant records. But you will find some...

On our website