ANGELUS, ASTROLABIUM, VENICE, 1494, CONTEMPORARY STAMPED CALF

4to (217 x 154mm.), 174 leaves (of 176), [*]4 a–e8 f–s4 t–y8 z12 A–C8 D12, 44 lines plus headline, woodcut illustrations, woodcut printer's device on title-page, different woodcut device beneath colophon, a remboitage of contemporary blind-stamped calf over wooden boards by Ludovicus Ravescot or his successor (Goldschmidt 26), lacking *2-3, A1 and blank leaf D12, title-page extensively repaired, quires e-f misbound, v6 misbound, some leaves supplied from a shorter copy (e8, f1-2, f4, h1, i3, o2, s1, t1, t3-4, t6, v2, v4-5, v2, v4-6, x1, x3, x5, y4, y6, z2, z5, D10-11), t6 defective, duplicate of v4 bound in quire y, D8 misbound in quire e, rebacked; sold not subject to return

John Thorton (or Morton), inscription on title-page; John Hagar, inscription on title-page and final blank

Goff A712; HC 1101; BMC v 539; BSB-Ink E-64; Bod-inc A-284; GW 1901; Klebs 375.2; Sander 384

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 reprint of the 1488 Ratdolt edition. Joannes Angelus (or Engel), astronomer and medical man (d. 1512), studied under Regiomontanus in Vienna and subsequently became professor there. According to the statement on e8 verso, the 'figure celi' or horoscopes (quires f-r) are by the thirteenth-century medical writer Pietro d'Abano. The astronomical woodcuts are the famous series often used by Ratdolt, for example in his edition of Hyginus from 1482. Angelus is known to have worked as a proof reader for Ratdolt. The bindings of Ludovicus Ravescot have been studied by Georges Colin ("A new list of the bindings of Ludovicus Ravescot", in Incunabula: studies in fifteenth-century printed books presented to Lotte Hellinga (London, 1999), pp.353-370). The rebus stamp (containing a bird, "raaf", the letters "ve" and a bow, "schot") is thought to represent Ravescot's name; the other stamps used on this binding comprise a pelican, an enclosed garden, a wyvern, and a double-headed eagle. Colin opines that Ravescot sold on his bindery when he took up printing in the 1480s, so this binding may have been executed by his successor (Colin's Second Phase Binder). This book does not feature in Colin's list.