Lot 246
  • 246

KIRCHER, CHINA MONUMENTIS, AMSTERDAM, 1667, EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY CALF, MACCLESFIELD COPY

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

Description

  • China monumentis qua sacris qua profanis, nec non variis naturae & artis spectaculis, aliarumque rerum memorabilium argumentis illustrata. Amsterdam: Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge and Elizeus Weyerstraet, 1667
Folio (382 x 242mm.), engraved frontispiece, engraved vignette on title-page, engraved portrait of the author, woodcut initials and tailpieces, 2 engraved maps of China (one double-page, one folding), 22 engraved plates (3 folding), printed and engraved text in Chinese, Arabic, Syriac and Hebrew, engraved illustrations, eighteenth-century English speckled calf gilt, spine gilt in compartments with red morocco lettering-piece, red speckled edges, 5 plates slightly shorter (supplied from another copy), frontispiece slightly foxed, binding rubbed, joints starting to split

Provenance

Earls of Macclesfield, Shirburn Castle, blindstamp on frontispiece and bookplate, sale, Sotheby's, 15 March 2007, lot 3179

Literature

Merrill, Kircher 20; STCN 850282330

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

A detailed and fascinating work based on Jesuit reports from China, but also including important historical linguistic information about Sanskrit and Syriac as well as Chinese. The Sanskrit grammar by the Jesuit Heinrich Roth, which he brought back from India on a visit to Rome in 1664 (the original manuscript ended up in the Musaeum Kircherianum), is partly reproduced by Kircher, with the first appearance of Devanagari characters in print.