Duke Leopold of Austria, 1520

Medieval astronomy and meteorology
Duke Leopold of Austria, 1520
LEOPOLD, Duke of Austria (13th century). Compilatio ... de astrorum scientia Decem continentis tractatus. Venice: [Jacobus Pentius, for] Melchior Sessa and Petrus de Ravanis, 15 July 1520.

Second edition of the Compilatio by the 13th-century astronomer, Leopold of Austria. Primarily a work of astrology, the sixth book concerns meteorology both from a theoretical and a practical point of view, and thus includes, for example, folkloric methods of weather prediction. Although virtually nothing is known of the author, the work was influential in the late Middle Ages, being cited by the great astronomer, Pierre d'Ailly, and admired by Regiomontanus, who proposed to edit an edition of the work. Adams L-516; BLSTC Italian (assigning it to Pencio) p.375 (718.f.8); Sander 3948; Essling 2081; Houzeau and Lancaster 4783.

Quarto (206 x 150mm). Large woodcut of an astronomer and Sessa’s device on title, many woodcuts illustrating signs of the zodiac, gods of antiquity, celestial spheres, and astrological predictions, woodcut initials (slight extension of lower margin of I1). Modern morocco; slipcase. Provenance: Collection of Peter and Margarethe Braune (bookplate).