Lot 42
  • 42

Raphael Levi Hannover (1685-1779), Tekhunat ha-Shamayim ve-khol Tseva'am u-Mahalakham (a treatise on astronomy), manuscript in Hebrew, on paper

Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Paper
41 leaves, 310mm. by 200mm., apparently complete, written space 300mm. by 160mm., single column, c. 40 lines, in dark brown ink in Ashkenazi cursive script, with significant words in square script, cropped with loss of some folio numbers, modern blue leather over pasteboards, gilt-tooled with thistles, title and "134" on spine

Condition

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."

Catalogue Note

This manuscript contains a treatise on astronomy (fol.1r), written by a student of mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz (1646-1716), with additional notes on solar eclipses (fol. 30v), notes on intercalation, and a list of fairs in German towns (fol.41r). The treatise was completed in 1730, and Neubauer concluded that the present manuscript is an autograph (no. 134, p. 38). This has been called into question, but it varies in a number of places from the first edition (Amsterdam, 1756) and, like a handful of other manuscripts (Oxford, Mich. 498 & 603, and MS Moscow, Guenzburg 1743), it is probably an important early draft, perhaps in the hand of an amanuensis.