- 218
VEGETIUS, DE RE MILITARI, [ERFURT, C. 1512], WOODCUTS ONLY, LATER VELLUM
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
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Description
- De re militari. [Erfurt: Hans Knappe, c. 1512]
folio (289 x 215mm.), 195 full-page woodcut illustrations, early manuscript notes in Italian on final blank, later pencil notes in German on most pages, modern vellum gilt, top edge gilt, occasional light staining
Literature
VD16 ZV 9905 (listing 2 copies, Munich and Schweinfurt only)
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."
"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
An edition of Vegetius containing the fine woodcut illustrations without the text; Hans Knappe of Erfurt had previously issued an edition of the text in German translation in 1511, with most of the woodcuts (VD16 V465), but this edition contains an additional seventy odd illustrations not issued with that text. Some of the woodcuts are signed HK (Knappe) and MS (Melchior Schwarreberg). The woodcuts are partly based on an earlier illustrated Vegetius printed in Augsburg in around 1475. They contain anachronistic illustrations of cannons and soldiers in contemporary costume, indicating that the book was intended for practical rather than academic use.
The pencil notes in German in this copy indicate the source of the illustrations, from editions of Valturius to manuscripts such as a Feuerwerckbuch of c. 1440 (Germanisches Nationalmuseum Cod. 719) and the Nuremberg gunner Johann Formschneider's manuscript of the 1460s (Munich Cod. Germ. 734).
The pencil notes in German in this copy indicate the source of the illustrations, from editions of Valturius to manuscripts such as a Feuerwerckbuch of c. 1440 (Germanisches Nationalmuseum Cod. 719) and the Nuremberg gunner Johann Formschneider's manuscript of the 1460s (Munich Cod. Germ. 734).