STOEFFLER'S SEMINAL COMMENTARY ON PROCLUS' "SPHAERA" - WITH IMPORTANT REFERENCES TO AMERICA

STOEFFLER, JOHANNES. (PROCLUS, PROKLOS).

In Procli Diadochi Sphaeram mundi, omnibus numeris longe absolutissimus commentarius.

Tübingen, Hulderich Morhart, 1534.

Small folio. Nice full vellum with yapp edges. A, exceptionally nice, clean, and fresh copy. One blank corner of f. 100 restored and small part of upper blank margin of last three leaves restored - far from affecting text. (7), (1 - blank), 133 ff + 1 leaf with portrait. With numerous woodcut astronomical illustrations and diagrams in the text and the woodcut portrai, which is attributed to Holbein the Younger.

The rare first edition of Stoeffler's highly important commentary on Proclus' astronomical main work, "Sphaera", together with the Latin translation of the text by Ludovicus Schradinus (Ludwig Schradin).

Proklos' astronomical main work constitutes one of the most important and influential works of Ptolemaic cosmology, and through Stoeffler's pivotal edition of the text with his seminal commentaries, the work comes to play a significant role in Renaissance astronomy. Through Stoeffler, Proclus' "Speara" came to be regarded as the most significant Renaissance alternative to the otherwise dominating "Tractatus de Sphaera" by Sacrobosco - it constituted a Platonic-humanistic and anti-scholastic alternative that gave it a unique role in the history of spherical astronomy, strongly influencing the likes of Kepler.

Johannes Stoeffler (1452-1531), Professor of mathematics at the University of Tübingen, was a highly important and influential astronomer and astrologer, who counted both Melanchton and Sebastian Münster among his students. His commentary on Proclus' "Spaera" became extremely influential and was studied by the most important astronomers of the Renaissance. The work furthermore contains two important references to the discovery of America (f. 24r: "Ut est America provincia occidentialis vicina tropico Capricorni ... inventa per Columbanum Ianuensem" & f. 54v: "Hoc in primis, deprehendit Vespucius nobilis mathematicus, terram nusquam oceano ut illi crediderunt) à nostra omnino interceptam").

Order-nr.: 52023