JOHANNES DE SACRO BOSCO (fl. c.1230)
09.07.2025 10:30UTC +01:00
Classic
To bid, go to the website
CHRISTIE'SAuctioneer | CHRISTIE'S |
---|---|
Event location | United Kingdom, London |
Buyer Premium | see on Website% |
ID 1449844
Lot 57 | JOHANNES DE SACRO BOSCO (fl. c.1230)
Estimate value
12000GBP £ 12 000 – 16 000
Sphaera mundi. – GEORG PEUERBACH (1423–1461). Theoricae novae planetarum. – REGIOMONTANUS (1436–1476). Disputationes contra Cremonensia deliramenta. Venice: Erhard Ratdolt, 6 July 1482.
First Venice edition of the fundamental astronomical text of the Middle Ages, with hand-coloured woodcut diagrams and in a contemporary binding. Sphaera mundi is an introductory guide to the geocentric universe, composed by Sacrobosco c.1220 for use at the nascent University of Paris and based on the newly available works of Ptolemy and his Arabic commentators. It was ‘adopted as the fundamental astronomy text, for often it was so clear that it needed little or no explanation’ (DSB). After circulating in manuscript form for 250 years, it became the first printed astronomical textbook when it appeared at Ferrara in 1472 and enjoyed wide circulation, going through 25 editions in the incunable period alone. In the present edition, Erhard Ratdolt compiles for the first time a trio of pre-Copernican cornerstones, with Sphaera mundi followed by the astronomical lectures of Georg Peuerbach, and a work by his pupil Regiomontanus. The accompanying woodcut diagrams, likely designed by Johann Lucilius Santritter, appear for the first time in this edition, and would be used for many subsequent editions for their masterful visual explanation of Sacrobosco's concepts. Several diagrams are hand-coloured in green and ochre. HC *14110 = H 14102; BMC V 286; BSB-Ink I-502; Bod-inc J-181; CIBN J-270; Essling 258; GW M14652; Goff J-405; Klebs 874.9; ISTC ij00405000.
Chancery quarto (198 x 150mm). 60 leaves. First text leaf printed in red and black, woodcut frontispiece of armillary sphere and woodcut diagrams and initials throughout, some of the diagrams hand-colored in ochre or green (g browned). Contemporary vellum, old paper label (upper 4/5 of spine lost revealing contemporary manuscript fragments used in binding, a little worn). Provenance: author and title added on a1r in a contemporary Latin hand, along with profuse marginal and interlinear indexing to Sphaera mundi.
Place of origin: | Italy, Europe |
---|---|
Auction house category: | Books and manuscripts, Printed books |
Place of origin: | Italy, Europe |
---|---|
Auction house category: | Books and manuscripts, Printed books |
Address of auction |
CHRISTIE'S 8 King Street, St. James's SW1Y 6QT London United Kingdom | |
---|---|---|
Preview |
| |
Phone | +44 (0)20 7839 9060 | |
Buyer Premium | see on Website | |
Conditions of purchase | Conditions of purchase |
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.