Conrad Lycosthenes - Prodigiorum ac Ostentorum Chronicon - 1557

Rare and attractive leaf with 7 beautifully hand-coloured woodcuts from one of the most famous Renaissance books on prodigies and extraordinary natural phenomena printed in Basel 1557. These early woodcuts depict extraordinary celestial and terrestrial phenomena: a radiant sun above a landscape, an erupting volcano, fiery apparitions in the sky, and lightning striking a fortified town. The other illustrations show the examination of a sacrificial animal, a figure described in the Latin text as an “androgynus,” and a statue on a pedestal, illustrating accounts of unusual sacrificial signs and ominous events in ancient Rome. The leaf originates from the celebrated Renaissance chronicle of wonders by Conrad Lycosthenes, Prodigiorum ac Ostentorum Chronicon (Basel, 1557) and draws on classical and medieval sources of its time such as Sebastian Münster, Conrad Gesner, Cardano and Paracelsus. The work reflects the Renaissance fascination with unusual natural phenomena, monsters, mythical creatures and other marvels of nature at the crossroads of early science, astrology and natural history. Dimensions: 26,5 x 18,5 cm Good condition.

Estimate:£168.63

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