Bartholomaeus Anglicus, 24 December 1485

BARTHOLOMAEUS ANGLICUS (fl. 1230–1250). De proprietatibus rerum, in Dutch: Van den proprieteyten der dinghen. Haarlem: Jacob Bellaert, 24 December 1485.

Second vernacular edition, first Dutch edition, with 11 full-page hand-colored woodcuts. Unlike the early Latin editions of Bartholomaeus (and the many manuscripts), vernacular editions were frequently illustrated. Here, the first Dutch edition by Jacob Bellaert, the first printer of Haarlem, contains 11 new and independent woodcuts by the artist known as the Master of Jacob Bellaert. Partially hand-colored, the plates depict God, angels, birds, fish, plants and more – reflecting the range of material covered in Bartholomaeus’ encyclopaedia but also conveying the modus operandi behind his mammoth endeavor: to understand the Creator through his creations.

De proprietatibus rerum is the single most significant contemporary contribution to the 13th-century written sums of knowledge that give this era the name: The Age of Encyclopaedias. The work aims to address all fields of science, and its comprehensiveness made the work widely successful at the dawn of printing, receiving many Latin and vernacular editions across Europe. Notably, Bartholomaeus cites his diverse sources, who range from Aristotle and Cicero to Bede and Rhasis to his own contemporary Albertus Magnus. Bartholomaeus also discusses the brain, its attributes and disorders in broad terms, thus providing an early introduction to its study. ‘After two and a half centuries this encyclopaedia was still a standard work used at all cisalpine universities, as is shown by its frequent reissue.’ (PMM 9). HC 2522; BMC IX 102; BSB-Ink B-100; Bod-inc B-069; CIBN B-111; GW 3423; Goff B-142; Klebs 151.1; ISTC ib00142000.

Chancery folio (250 × 186mm). 463 leaves (of 466, lacking c5, [longS]8 and DD5 but including blanks [a1], ē6 and E8). 11 full-page woodcuts with contemporary hand-coloring, a full-page printer’s mark in decorative border also with contemporary partial hand-coloring, the principal 6- or 8-line initials in blue with red penwork on pale green grounds over printed guide-letters, smaller initials in red over printed guide-letters (scattered soiling and small stains, lower margin of first two leaves cut away, few other tears and marginal repairs). Contemporary German blindstamped pigskin, sides paneled with life-of-Christ, heads-in-medallion and floral rolls (four of eight catches/clasps present, overall soiling and rubbing, front free endpaper lacking). Provenance: 'WW' (initials on binding and on printer’s mark).