- 77
Ptolemaeus, Claudius
Estimate
18,000 - 25,000 USD
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Description
- paper
Geographicae Enarrationis, Libri Octo. Vienne: Gaspard Trechsel for Hugues de la Porte in Lyons, 1541
Folio (16 1/2 x 11 in.; 420 x 280 mm). Large publisher's woodcut device on title, 50 woodcut maps of which 49 are double-page and 30 contain near contemporary annotations, 6 large woodcut text diagrams of which 2 are full-page, many woodcut historiated or floral initials; lightly browned throughout, dampstain in lower margin of first few quires, some light marginal spotting and an occasional small inkstain, later bibliographical note on front flyleaf. 19th-century three-quarter vellum and marbled boards, gilt-ruled, red edges, by Caldwell of Dublin with his sticker on front pastedown, in a tan cloth slipcase; edges and corners torn, covers rubbed.
Folio (16 1/2 x 11 in.; 420 x 280 mm). Large publisher's woodcut device on title, 50 woodcut maps of which 49 are double-page and 30 contain near contemporary annotations, 6 large woodcut text diagrams of which 2 are full-page, many woodcut historiated or floral initials; lightly browned throughout, dampstain in lower margin of first few quires, some light marginal spotting and an occasional small inkstain, later bibliographical note on front flyleaf. 19th-century three-quarter vellum and marbled boards, gilt-ruled, red edges, by Caldwell of Dublin with his sticker on front pastedown, in a tan cloth slipcase; edges and corners torn, covers rubbed.
Literature
JCB I, pp. 129-130; Nordenskiøld Collection 2:211; Phillips 366; Sabin 66485
Condition
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
The second Servetus edition of Ptolemy's Geographia. The maps are printed from blocks first used in Lorenz Fries's edition printed by Grüninger in 1522, again in 1525, and in the first Lyons Trechsel edition of 1535. The translation from Greek was the work of Willibald Pirckheimer. Included are twenty-seven maps of the ancient world, twenty-two maps of the modern world, and a full-page map of Lotharingia on the verso of Map 46. Among these, maps 28, 34, 49 and 50 relate to America. The descriptive text for map 28 describes the first voyage of Christopher Columbus.
The descriptive text in this edition was omitted from several of the maps, including that of Palestine. This might explain why this copy is heavily annotated by a Spanish cartographer circa 1585, who has supplied alternative place names from ancient (Strabo, Pomponius Mela, Solinus, Plinius, Hermes Trismegistus) and contemporary (Laurentius Surius, Johannes Nauclerus) sources, and disputes the locations of some places. In the map of Italy (6), his entry on Otranto notes (in translation): "Here died my paternal uncle, Gil Gonzalez Davila, mayor (gubernator) of this city. " A date for his work appears in the lower margin of the same map: "The pontiff reigning today is Sixtus V, anno domini 1585." The map of Spain (2) has notes on the recto and verso of the map, in Spanish and other annotations freely moving between Spanish and Latin. In the map of Africa, on the subject of the Nile's distance from another river: "I agree with Ptolemy that the latter is closer to these regions [disagreeing with Solinus and Pomponius Mela]."
A fascinating copy of an atlas, many copies of which are said to have been destroyed on Calvin's orders at the time of the execution of Servetus.
The descriptive text in this edition was omitted from several of the maps, including that of Palestine. This might explain why this copy is heavily annotated by a Spanish cartographer circa 1585, who has supplied alternative place names from ancient (Strabo, Pomponius Mela, Solinus, Plinius, Hermes Trismegistus) and contemporary (Laurentius Surius, Johannes Nauclerus) sources, and disputes the locations of some places. In the map of Italy (6), his entry on Otranto notes (in translation): "Here died my paternal uncle, Gil Gonzalez Davila, mayor (gubernator) of this city. " A date for his work appears in the lower margin of the same map: "The pontiff reigning today is Sixtus V, anno domini 1585." The map of Spain (2) has notes on the recto and verso of the map, in Spanish and other annotations freely moving between Spanish and Latin. In the map of Africa, on the subject of the Nile's distance from another river: "I agree with Ptolemy that the latter is closer to these regions [disagreeing with Solinus and Pomponius Mela]."
A fascinating copy of an atlas, many copies of which are said to have been destroyed on Calvin's orders at the time of the execution of Servetus.