Ingolstadt · 1540 · Petrus Apianus

Astronomicum Caesareum

Petrus Apianus

Astronomicum Caesareum
Calendar volvelle
Hand-coloured revolving calendar volvelle, its outer rings naming the zodiac and the twelve months, suspended from a pair of painted hands (leaf 00021).
Lunar eclipse volvelle
Eclipse instrument showing the Earth's shadow ("Umbra Terre") with three vividly painted faces for sun and moon (leaf 00071).
Page with historiated initials
Two-column type page ("Usus torqueti") set with a series of hand-coloured historiated initials (leaf 00119).
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Printed by Apianus at his own press for the emperor Charles V and his brother Ferdinand I. Twenty-one hand-coloured, silk-strung revolving volvelles built up from Hans Ostendorfer's woodcuts turn the book into a jewel-bright "paper computer" for finding planetary positions, eclipses and the date of Easter. One of the most lavish scientific books of the century, a genuine blend of illustration and typography (VD16 A 3072).

Details

Title
Astronomicum Caesareum
Author
Petrus Apianus
Printer
Petrus Apianus
Place
Ingolstadt
Year
1540
Format
f°
Language
Latin
Theme
diagrams, illustration

Facsimiles

BSB ↗

Images

Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München, Rar. 819 — Public Domain Mark 1.0