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Stock# 103995
Description

With The World Map In Mirror Image

Beautiful Large Woodcut of Printer's Shop on Title

Second Badius edition of an early 5th century A.D. treatise on Neoplatonic philosophy in the form of a commentary on Cicero's Somnium Scipionis, with extensive incidental remarks on cosmology and the sciences. Also included are the Saturnalia by Macrobius, a dialogue on various subjects set at a banquet during the Saturnalian festival; and De die natali by Censorinus, on miscellaneous topics relating to conception, birth, and chronology.

Includes (on folio 28) a fine example of Macrobius' important Medieval world map, first published in Brescia in 1483. The present example is a mirror image of the earliest state, with the island of Britain at the top right-hand corner. The inhabited world north of the Equator is balanced by a southern continent and divided from it by water. Decorated with many wind heads. An early world delineation following the classical T-O prototype.

The essential point of the map of Macrobius was that the earth was the home of two, or four, separate worlds. The Afro-Eurasian continent was balanced by an Antipodean land mass on the other side of an impassable torrid zone. Marked with climatic-zones derived from Ptolemy's climate, and, unlike many other medieval maps, they are oriented with North at the top. Since nothing could be known about the Antipodean Continent, except for its general size, shape, and location, it was simply sketched in a general way. The ecumene, however, is shown with some interesting details. The Mediterranean Sea divides the lands, and each continent is labeled.  The countries of Spain, France, England and Italy are labeled.

The works of Macrobius, a fifth-century AD Roman philosopher, were of great popularity throughout the Middle Ages. His neoplatonic commentary on Cicero includes, among many references to the pseudo-sciences, a geographic concept which is different from that of Ptolemy. The book contains 18 large woodcut illustrations and diagrams and about 180 nice woodcut initials.

In the Middle Ages 'In somnium scipionis' was highly popular because Macrobius' idea of the geography of the world differed very much from Ptolemy's. Macrobius explained that a northern continent faces the southern continent and that an ocean divides them. This theory is illustrated on the map in the work. It uses passages from Cicero to construct the most satisfactory and widely read Latin compendium on Neoplatonism that existed during the Middle Ages. It also became a popular guide to science featuring lengthy excursions on Pythagorean number lore, cosmography, world geography and the harmony of the spheres.  

   As noted by Shirley:

The works of Macrobius, a fifth-century AD Roman philosopher, were of great popularity throughout the Middle Ages. His neoplatonic commentary on Cicero includes, among many references to the pseudo-sciences, a geographic concept which is different from that of Ptolemy. The inhabited world north of the Equator is balanced by a southern continent and divided from it by water. Among the roughly 150 manuscripts recorded by Destombes dating from 1200 to 1500 AD nearly 100 contain a simple map illustrating Macrobius's theories.

Rarity

This work is quite rare in the market. Only 5 examples noted in RBH.

Condition Description
Folio. 18th-century vellum-backed marbled boards, raised bands. Gilt morocco lettering piece (chipped). Small chip to vellum at top of spine. Two private owner's bookplates to front pastedown (one an 18th-century engraved armorial plate, the other a smaller 20th-century pictorial bookplate). Small neat manuscript inscription on title dated 1631. [6], 112; 9, [1] leaves. Title within woodcut historiated border with large woodcut Badius printing press device. Decorated initials throughout. 13 woodcut illustrations and diagrams in the text (including repeats). Woodcut word map on D4r. Leaf k8 (fol. LXXX) with small tear to fore-edge margin (minor paper loss, but printed area unaffected). Fol. XCVIII misnumbered XC. Some minor wear to binding extremities. Title with some light old marginal stains and with a couple tiny wormholes in fore-edge margin (printed area unaffected). Fol. 104 with neat paper repair to lower fore-edge margin (a couple letters of the printed marginal note on verso affected). Else internally very nice indeed, the leaves fresh and quite crisp, with ample margins. Some ink marginalia and underscoring in an early neat hand.
Reference
Renouard, P. Bibliographie des impressions et des oeuvres de Josse Badius Ascensius, imprimeur et humaniste, 1462-1535, III, pages 55-57. Shirley 13.