"Bonhams will sell one of the most beautiful and rare books in the world - a first edition of Aristotle’s De animalibus (On Animals) printed on vellum in Venice in 1476." continues Fine Books & Collections Magazine.
Only one other copy on vellum of this masterwork of Renaissance
printing is known to survive. The whereabouts of this copy were unknown
for almost 100 years until it was rediscovered in eastern Tennessee in
late 2015. Estimated at U.S. $300,000-500,000 it will be offered in the Fine Books and Manuscripts auction at Bonhams New York on June 8.
“Books like this come up for auction once in a generation; not only
is this first edition exceedingly important in the history of thought,
but it is also exceedingly beautiful. Few books so perfectly epitomize
the Renaissance,” said Director of Books and Manuscripts Christina Geiger.
Milestone in natural history
Aristotle’s De animalibus
is the earliest known work of empirical natural history and as such it
was a milestone in the development of western thought. Consisting of
three texts - De historia animalium; De partibus animalium; De generatione animalium
- it contains details of more than 500 species. It was considered the
single most important source of zoological information for 2,000 years
and is the foundation of our understanding of comparative anatomy and
embryology. Aristotle’s descriptions of the anatomy of sea animals is
so accurate that some scholars believe that he had first-hand experience
of dissection.
Commissioned by Pope
De animalibus was the first
comprehensive biological text to be printed. This Latin translation by
Theodore Gaza, the pre-eminent translator of Aristotle in the
Renaissance, was commissioned by Pope Nicholas V, founder of the Vatican
Library where an original manuscript is lodged. Nicholas, a leading
supporter of humanist thought who provided shelter for many Greek
intellectuals such as Gaza fleeing from the Turkish invasion of the
Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium), died before the work was completed and
the dedicatee of De animalibus is his successor Pope Sixtus IV.
Originally written in Greek, the text had, over the centuries, been
available in translation in mediaeval Latin and Arabic but all copies
had to be made painstakingly by hand. The invention of the printing
press in Germany, however, made knowledge more widely and easily
available and was a major factor in sustaining and promoting the
rediscovery of ancient texts. De animalibus was printed in Venice
in 1476 by John of Cologne and John of Manthen, part of the German
influx of entrepreneurs introducing printing to Italy. The first
Venetian press was established in 1469.
Only a handful of deluxe copies of De animalibus were printed
on vellum (parchment made from calf skin) and illuminated, of which only
one other, held in the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris, is known still
to survive. The current copy has a provenance stretching back to the
collection of the 4th Duke of Cassano in the late 18th century before
entering distinguished collections in the United Kingdom and
subsequently the United States of America. After it last appeared at
auction in 1891, however, its whereabouts have been untraced. It has
been in the hands of the current private owners for more than 60 years.
Aristotle
The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322) is
regarded as the first true scientist in history. He studied under Plato
but later embraced empiricism, believing knowledge to be based on
perception. A prolific writer, his influence on Judeo-Christian thought
and philosophy was profound and his observations on natural science
shaped scholarship until the scientific revolution of the Enlightenment.
ABOUT BONHAMS INTERNATIONAL AUCTIONEERS
Bonhams, founded in
1793, is one of the world's largest auctioneers of fine art and
antiques. Today, the auction house offers more sales than any of its
rivals. The main salerooms are in London, New York and Hong Kong. Sales
are also held in the UK in Knightsbridge and Edinburgh; in the U.S., in
San Francisco and Los Angeles; in Europe, in Paris and Stuttgart and in
Sydney, Australia. Bonhams also has a worldwide network of offices and
regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and
valuation services in 60 specialist areas.
For a full listing of
forthcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments,
please visit www.bonhams.com.
Related link
History of Animals - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Source: Fine Books & Collections Magazine