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Libra Esoterica

[Astronomical compilation]

Author not recorded

  • First published:
  • 15th century
  • Languages: German, Latin
  • Content type: ManuscriptPrimary source

Collection of astronomical and astrological texts. Includes tables of solar declination (f. 13r), fixed stars (f. 22r), elevation of the pole star in various cities (f. 26r), new and full moons (f. 83r-84v), sightings and transits or eclipses of Venus and Mercury (f. 87r), and the position of the sun in the ecliptic (f. 87v); treatises on instruments, such as the astrolabe (f. 17r-22r, 25r-33v, 43r-45r, 50r-50v), the sundial (f. 23r-25v), the quadrant (f. 27r-28v, 78v), the Jacob's staff (baculus, f. 45r-49r, 79r, 91r), and the chilinder or traveler's dial (f. 77r-78v); treatises on other scientific subjects, such as practical geometry (f. 41r-42v), determination of the date of Easter (computus, f. 64v-67v, 70v-75r, 89r-90v), and analysis of urine (f. 68r-70r); digressions on the work of Johannes Sacrobosco (f. 35r-39r); and excerpts from the Compilatio de astrorum scientia of Leopold of Austria (f. 80r-81v). Cities in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany are mentioned frequently, along with major cities in Europe, especially Italy.

Provenance

Why this book is in the catalog

Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Astrology.

  • Astrology

    Controlled discovery queries from colenda matched “Astrology”. Retained metadata contains “astrological” in the description, “Astrology” in the subject metadata, and “astrological” in the edition notes.

    • Astrology· via Colenda Digital Repository — University of Pennsylvania Libraries
    • astrological· in description
    • Astrology· in subject
    • astrological· in edition notes

Membership records how this book met the catalog’s discovery criteria — relevance to a tradition, not a judgment of the book’s claims.

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Editions

One edition cataloged here.

University of Pennsylvania digitized manuscript

91 leaves : paper, illustrations ; 213 x 145 (172 x 115) mm bound to 217 x 158 mm; Binding: Modern quarter parchment with pasteboards.; Collation: Paper, i (modern) + 91 + i (modern); 1¹⁶ 2-6¹² 7¹⁶(-1); [1-91], modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto. Earlier modern foliation in pencil suggests that gatherings are missing at the beginning (the manuscript's extant first folio is numbered 36); between the third and fourth gatherings (where the earlier modern foliation skips from 75 (f. 40) to 113 (f. 41)); and between the fourth and fifth gatherings (where the earlier modern foliation skips from 124 (f. 52) to 155 (f. 53). Link to collation model at end of record.; Decoration: Numerous diagrams (astronomical, f. 3r, 3v, 9v; related to sundials, f. 24v-25v; of quadrants, f. 62v, 63v; geometric, f. 41r-42v, 48r-48v, 51r-52v; astrological, f. 58r, 64r, 70v), mostly in ink, a few with red ink as well; rubrication and underlining in red and initials slashed with red in much of the manuscript (but not f. 26r-27v, 42v-52v, 63v-79v, 80v-91v); manicule (f. 10v).; Latin, with some words in German (f. 54r, 55r, 89r).; Lawrence J. Schoenberg & Barbara Brizdle Manuscript Initiative.; Layout: Written in 33-35 long lines.; Ms. codex.; Origin: Written in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany, possibly Heidelberg, ca. 1450 (f. 4v).; Script: Written in cursive Gothic script by multiple hands.; Title supplied by cataloger.; Watermarks: Similar to Briquet Raisin 12995 (Eberbach, 1443-1449; Eppelsheim, 1445) and Tête de boeuf 15106, 15109, and 15110 (various German cities, 1452-1469).

1450German, LatinPublic download

Subjects

4 subject headings

Identifiers & provenance

How this record was assembled, and the authority identifiers it carries.

Identifiers

Colenda
  • ark:/81431/p36688k2v

Cataloged from

Cataloging notes

  • Colenda collection: Lawrence J. Schoenberg Collection (University of Pennsylvania)
  • Penn Libraries catalog identifier: 9951856793503681
  • Physical location: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Manuscripts, LJS 490
  • Provenance: Deposit by Lawrence J. Schoenberg and Barbara Brizdle, 2011.; Gift of Barbara Brizdle Schoenberg, 2021.; Sold by Sam Fogg Ltd. (London) to Lawrence J. Schoenberg, Jan. 2008.
  • Rights: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0
Catalog id
colenda:81431-p36688k2v
Edition coverage
Colenda source record
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