Hoe copy
Emblemata anniversaria Academiae Noribergensis, quae est Altorffii ... opus philologicum.
Nuremberg: Abr. Wagenman, 1617.
Price: $1,750.00
About the item
First edition thus. Engraved title printed in red and black, and 159 engraved plates of medallic devices by Johannes Sibmacher inset to text throughout, engraved head and tail pieces. [8], 540, [44] pp. 8vo. Hoe copy. Tan calf, spine elaborately gilt, a.e.g., marbled endpapers. Minor rubbing to binding, fine. Provenance: Robert Hoe (morocco bookplate).
Item #310040
Described as "Editio II," this is actually an enlarged edition of a work original published in 1597, documenting prize medals made for students of the Altdorf academy in Nuremberg. "The most remarkable example of [emblems and numismatics coming together] is the collection of prize medals from the Altdorf academy .... These medals were not only given to talented pupils as a reward for their study achievements, but also served as an instrument in teaching rhetorical skills. Each year several pupils were selected to deliver an oration interpreting the image depicted on the obverse of the medal. The images of the medals and the texts of the orations were published ... in two books as Emblemata anniversaria (Nuremberg, 1597 and 1617). The illustrations were made by Johannes Sibmacher …" (Visser, Joannes Sambucus and the Learned Image, p. 45).
