Antique Prints, Maps, & Books of Natural History, Botanicals, & More
Lot 6662:
Description
This rare, historic volume is Benedictus Arias Montanus’s
Antiquitatum Iudicarum Libri IX. In quis, praeter Iudaeae, Hierosolymorum, & Templi Salomonis accuratam delineationem, praecipui sacri ac profani gentis ritus describuntur. The work was published in 1593 in Leyde by Franciscus Raphelengius for officine Plantin.
The volume is bound in contemporary blind-stamped pigskin over flexible board, decorative rolls forming a border (one with medallions and busts of Virgil, Cicero, Ovid, Coat of Arms and armorial bearings), spine with raised bands. There are 16 folding plates depicting maps (land of Canaan, Palestine, Holy Land), architectural sections & views (including Solomon’s Temple), bird’s-eye view of Jerusalem, Old Testament scenes, and more. It includes a map dated 1571 with possible northern coast of Australia, then unknown. This map also shows the distribution of Jewish tribes on both hemispheres (second state of the map with "gentes" in the lower left corner cartouche. Some of the plates were done by Pieter Huys and Joannes Wiericx.
The work was a theological and archaeological examination of the Bible by Montanus. This is the first and only separate edition of
Antiquitatum Iudicarum. This work on the Holy Land and Jewish antiquities was first published as part of
Antwerp Polyglotta, a Polyglot Bible, between 1568 and 1572. "His nine books of Jewish Antiquities are the most highly regarded. They are also found in the Antwerp Polyglot and in the great collections of England" (Hoefer)
Benedictus Arias Montanus (or Benito Arias Montano) (1527-1598) was a Spanish exegete and part of the Benedictine order. He was a prolific scholar that mastered numerous Eastern languages. He participated in the Council of Trent in 1562.
Paper Size: ~ 7" by 9 1/2"
Paper Type or Special Features: Volume with 16 Engravings
Condition report:
The work is in very good to excellent condition overall. The book shows signs of age as in original binding and quite old. There may be a few minor imperfections or faint marks to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.
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