Item: 1693 First Edition Of Coronelli’s Cosmography,37 Wonderful Engraved Plates
Sold For: $6,101.00
Bids: 20
Date: Jul 01, 2012
Auction: Ebay
Description and Image By: bibliomany
Coronelli, vincenzo. Epitome cosmografica, o compendiosa introduttione all’astronomia, geografia, & idrografia, per l’uso, dilucidatione, e fabbrica delle sfere, globi, planisferj, astrolabj, e tavole geografiche, e particolarmente degli stampati, e spiegati nelle publiche lettioni dal p. Maestro vincenzo coronelli m.c. Cosmografo della serenissima republica di venetia, e lettore di geografia […] Per l’accademia […] Degli argonauti. Colonia, mdclxxxxiii, ad istanza di andrea poletti [but venice: poletti, 1693]. Large 8vo (180×126 mm), contemporary mottled calf binding, four raised bands spine with gilt decoration and titles to compartments, pp. [22], 420. Allegorical engraved frontispiece of the accademia cosmografica degli argonauti. Complete.
37 wonderful engraved plates of which 31 double-page, one with volvelles. The book is specially renowned and wanted by collectors for its uncommon 6 circular folding celestial and terrestrial charts. Scarce first edition of coronelli’s «epitome cosmografica» an exhaustive encyclopedic work on the cosmos studied in all its natural, astronomical and geographical aspects. The work is divided into three books: the first regards astronomy and the points of the compass, the second illustrates geography and natural phenomena, and the last describes globes, armillary spheres and the great astrolabes made by coronelli himself and other authors, including carlo malavista. Vincenzo coronelli (1650–1718) was an italian franciscan monk, cosmographer, cartographer, publisher, and encyclopedist known in particular for his atlases and globes. He excelled in the study of both astronomy and euclid. A little before 1678, coronelli began working as a geographer and was commissioned to make a set of terrestrial and celestial globes for the duke of parma. Each finely crafted globe was five feet in diameter (c. 175cm) and so impressed the duke that he made coronelli his theologian. Coronelli’s renown as a theologian grew and in 1699 he was appointed father general of the franciscan order. Cardinal césar d’estrées, friend and adviser to louis xiv and ambassador to rome, saw the duke of parma’s globes and invited coronelli to paris in 1681 to construct a pair of globes for the most christian king. Coronelli moved to the french capital in 1681, where he lived for two years. Each globe was composed of spindles of bent timber about ten feet long and four inches broad at the equator. This wood was then coated with a layer of plaster about an inch thick and covered in a layer of strong unfinished fabric. This was then wrapped in a quarter-inch layer of two very fine fabrics which provided backing for the painted information of the globes. These globes, measuring 384 cm in diameter and weighing approximately 2 tons, are displayed in the bibliothèque nationale françois mitterrand in paris. The globes depicted the latest information of french explorations in north america, particularly the expeditions of rené-robert cavelier, sieur de la salle. Due to his renown he worked in various european countries in the following years, permanently returning to venice in 1705. In venice he started his own cosmographical project and published the volumes of “atlante veneto”. In his home city he founded in 1684 the very first geographical society, the accademia cosmografica degli argonauti. The present work gathers the lectures coronelli gave before the accademia. He also held the position of cosmographer of the republic of venice. Later six volumes of the biblioteca universale sacro-profana were published by coronelli. This was a kind of encyclopedia, its compiled entries were ordered alphabetically. Coronelli died at the age of 68 in venice, having created hundreds of maps in his lifetime. Original globes by coronelli are today located in several collections. Pairs of his most famous large (c. 110 cm diameter) globes are e.g. In the biblioteca marciana in venice, in the national library of austria and in the globe museum in vienna, in the library of stift melk, as well as in trier, prague, paris, london, washington d.c. Having been restored and completed, another 1688 terrestrial globe is displayed at the southwest collection/special collections library of texas tech university in lubbock, texas. The ransom centerat the university of texas in austin has a pair of coronelli globes both the 1688 terrestrial and the celestial. Condition: negligible pinholes, occasional light traces of foxing, but a very fine copy, clean and crisp throughout. Provenance: i. Crossed out owner’s inscription at the lower margin of frontispiece. Ii. Paper ex-libris of the bibliothecae nobilis collegii ptolomaei. References: iccu, it\iccu\nape\005459. Riccardi i, 273-75; houzeau & lancaster, 8006. For the true place of print (venice), see parenti, p. 55.