Brunschwig, Hieronymus.

folio (272 x 187mm.), large hand-coloured woodcut illustration on title-page, hand-coloured woodcut illustrations in text (one double-page) of plants and distillation equipment, G3 & I3-4 not coloured, woodcut initials, woodcut printer's device on final leaf, near-contemporary blind-stamped pigskin over wooden boards, two old metal clasps with initials "PB", double-page illustration cropped, a few headlines shaved, leaves Z3 and Z4 supplied from another copy at an earlier date, a few small wormholes at end (some repaired), a few small stains, a remboitage, binding rubbed

Buchholzer, of Silesia, armorial bookplate

VD16 B8718; Wellcome 1112; cf. Hunt 20 (1521 edition)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

a rare medical and pharmacological compilation, with contemporary hand-colouring throughout. Brunschwig, a practising surgeon, travelled widely across central Europe. He wrote several medical works in German aimed at barber-surgeons, based on practical experience gained during his travels. This treatise, with its numerous and detailed illustrations of medicinal plants and distilling equipment, "became a pharmaceutical-technical handbook that was the authority far into the sixteenth century" (DSB II, p.546). It was first published by Grueninger in 1500 (Goff B1227).

Ficino's Neoplatonic treatise on longevity, De triplici vita, was first published in Florence in 1489. Ficino, who studied medicine in his youth (his father was a physician to the Medici), here combines the principles of nutritional and physical care with emotional and spiritual wellbeing, including the use of amulets and attention to astrological factors. Although his treatise came under scrutiny by the Holy Office, Ficino claimed that he was quoting from earlier writers rather than expounding his own opinions.