Details

Other Title:

Theoricae novae planetarum.

Subjects:

Planets -- Orbits.
Planetary theory -- Early works to 1800.
Astronomy -- Early works to 1800.
Astronomy.
Planetary theory.

Form/Genre:

Codices (bound manuscripts)
Diagrams.
Volvelles.
Manuscripts, Renaissance.

Language:

Latin.

Summary:

Diagrams, many with moving parts, designed to accompany the work Theoricae novae planetarum by 15th-century Austrian astronomer Georg von Peurbach, who taught at the universities in Padua and Ferrara. The diagrams demonstrate increasingly complex planetary motion. An early 17th-century inscription on the first flyleaf refers to an edition of Peurbach published in Venice in 1616.

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title supplied by cataloger.
Collation: Paper, 45; 1⁴ (first leaf pastedown) 2⁴(+1) 3-5⁴ 6⁶ 7-10⁴ 11⁴ (last leaf pastedown); modern pagination in pencil, [vii, 2-57, i, 58-65, 67-73, 75-78, vi], upper outer corners. The numbers used as pagination in this record are in fact numbers assigned to diagrams, which are usually one per page, except for the second page of the double-page diagram beginning on p. 57; p. 65, which contains diagrams 65 and 66; and p. 73, which contains diagrams 73 and 74. Link to collation model at end of record.
Script: Written in italic script in brown and red ink.
Decoration: 73 full-page diagrams, 1 double-page diagram (p. 57 and facing page), and 4 half-page diagrams in black, red, and brown ink with yellow washes depicting planetary motion. 25 have volvelles or other moving parts attached with thread.
Binding: Contemporary morocco tooled in silver gilt.
Origin: Written in northern Italy, probably Padua, in the mid-16th century.

Local notes:

Lawrence J. Schoenberg & Barbara Brizdle Manuscript Initiative.

Penn Provenance:

Formerly owned by Francesco Rolandi of Turin, teacher of mathematics (inscription dated 1655, inside upper cover).
Formerly owned by Pietro Giuseppe (latinized in inscription as Petrus Joseph) Ignati Mattei Cattochii of Vicus Lancesium (Viù, near Turin; inscriptions dated 1708-1709, inside upper cover and first flyleaf recto).
Appeared in Libreria antiquaria Hoepli's catalog Livres, manuscrits et imprimé (Milan, 1954), no. 24.
Sold by Libreria antiquaria Hoepli through Zeitlin & Ver Brugge (Los Angeles) to Robert B. Honeyman (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), Ms. Astron. 4/Ms. 9, 1956.
Sold at auction at Sotheby's in the Honeyman collection of scientific books and manuscripts, Part III, 2 May 1979, lot 1112.
Appeared in Laurence Witten's cat. 10 (1979), no. 65.
Sold at auction at Christie's, 26 June 1991, lot 43.
Appeared in Sam Fogg's cat. 15 (London, 1992), no. 48.
Sold by William Patrick Watson Antiquarian Books (London), cat. 7 (1996), no. 79, to Lawrence J. Schoenberg.
Deposit by Lawrence J. Schoenberg and Barbara Brizdle, 2011.

Cited in:

Described in Transformation of knowledge: early manuscripts from the collection of Lawrence J. Schoenberg (London: Paul Holberton, 2006), p. 59 (LJS 64).

Publications about:

Herman, Nicholas. Making the Renaissance Manuscript: Discoveries from Philadelphia Libraries (exh. cat.). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Libraries, 2020. 46, 52 n. 157, 226-29(cat. 67).

Cited as:

LJS 64.

Contributor:

Peurbach, George von, 1423-1461.
Rolandi, Francesco, former owner.
Cattochii, Pietro Giuseppe Ignati Mattei, former owner.
Honeyman, Robert B., former owner.
Lawrence J. Schoenberg Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

OCLC:

779969571

Web link:

The Lawrence J. Schoenberg and Barbara Brizdle Manuscript Initiative Fund Home Page

Collation model