911/​234

Stanislaw Lubieniecki (b. 1623, d. 1675)

Theatrum Cometicum, Duabus partibus constans [...]. 3 parts in 2 vols. [Amsterdam]: Daniel Baccamude for Francis Cuperum 1668–66-68. Folio. 37,5×23,5 cm and 38×23 cm. No portrait. No engraved frontispieces, but with a total of 74 engraved and cont. hand-coloured plates. Not complete. Vol. I: [12], 966, [3]; vol. II: [5], 464 + [2], 78, [1] + one blank. List of plates numbered in the following order: Vol. I: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 , VI, 8, 22, 23, 27, 28, 24, 25, 26, 29, X, 15, XI, XII, 13, 31, 41, 34, 38, 39, 35, 50, 42, 53, 54,18, XVI, 17, 32, 43, 54, 49, 30, 46, 47, 53, 51, 54, 56 + 56 (one leaf) + 59, 36, 37, 14, 21, 40, 19. + Vol. II: 62, 63, 62, 71, 67, 75, 70, 77, 66, 85, 81, 79, 79, 74, 72, 70, 71, 73, 68, 88, 86, 77. Vol. III: No plates. Bindings with signs of wear and bumped corners. Vol. II: Dampstains to upper part's preliminary and last leaves. Bound in cont. full calf with gilt spines. (2)

Theatrum cometicum is an illustrated anthology of 415 comets. Lubieniecki was a Polish astronomer and historian with a special interest in comets and in this beautifully illustrated and contemporary hand-coloured work he shares his history of comets, beginning with those mentioned in the Bible to a comet that he personally observed in 1664 and 1665 and gave detailed accounts of. Lubienitz is the eponym of the lunar crater Lubiniezky.

Graesse IV, 270.

Provenance: Valdemar's Castle, Tåsinge.

Auction

Books from Valdemar's Castle, 30 November 2022

Category

Books & manuscripts

Estimate

100,000–200,000 DKK

Sold

Price realised

140,000 DKK