[meteorite-list] AD: Comets! Original 17th century comet prints for sale, a great curio and more...

From: Martin Altmann <altmann_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2007 18:06:06 +0100
Message-ID: <000f01c81a4e$01e1b6c0$177f2a59_at_name86d88d87e2>

Dear list members,

today a really special ad, as it's Comet Time!
We know that many of us are amateur astronomers, others bibliophile,
Holmes is delivering a massive spectacle, therefore such an proposition is certainly not misplaced.

>From our collection we're offering today four different 17th century comet leaves, a fine American chronicle from the 1850ies, containing all historical meteorite falls and comets and finally an exceptional curio.

Old Comet prints are an own field of collection, they are in general very rare and much sought-after, always getting remarkable results at events of the big antiquarian auction houses.
Compared with the prices realized there - and additionally we want to remind you, at what prices meteorite related reproductions of prints were sold here on the list - I'd say, that our suggestions here are really moderate.
All items are original and no reprints.

Let's arrange it chronologically.

First leaf shows

Comet C/ 1652 Y1 (Hevelius)

passing the Plejades

http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/C-1652-Y1-A.jpg

Detail
http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/C-1652-Y1-B.jpg

Its title reads:

"Eigentlicher Abri? und Situation de? Neuen Sternes, wie derselbe zu Regensburg, und anderer Orthen im H. R?m. Reich den 14/24, 15/25, 16/26 Decembris des 1652. Jahrs, Observiert und gesehen worden"

= Proper outline and place of the New Star, as it was observed and seen in Regensburg and other places of the Holy Roman Empire on December 14/24, 15/25, 16/26 of the year 1652.

(15/25 = Julian/Gregorian Date.)

And in the print: "Ungefehre gr?sse dieses neuen Sterns, wie der selbe gegen gemeine Sterne an zusehen"

= Approximate size of this new star, as it's seen compared to common stars.

Regensburg is a town in Bavaria, Germany.
Other than so often in the single sheet prints, the "flyers" of that time and in dissertations, this sheet represents an exact description of the comet, as you can see on the map of the path of C/1652 Y1 on the mentioned dates. In the print East is up.
http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/C-1652Y1-map.jpg

Good and clear print. Clean paper.
Plate size (means always the outer black printed margin).
26cm x 23.3cm 10.2" x 9.2"

Price: 220$



2nd sheet is a marvellous representation of Halley's occurrence in 1682.

http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/Halley1682A.jpg

That print was also pictured in the "comet special" of Sterne&Weltraum
(3/1997 p.203) - the German Sky&Telescope, largest European astronomy magazine.
I hadn't time to find the engraver yet, but seen the high artistic quality of that masterpiece, he should be identifiable.

http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/Halley1682C.jpg

Unfortunately the picture credits in S&W are incomplete,
the picture there stems for the Archive of Art and Science in Berlin.

Good print, clean paper.
The leave is tightly cut to the upper and lower edges.
http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/Halley1682B.jpg
Back has a text in French, obviously from a chronicle.
Plate size
14.8cm x 10.5cm 5.8" x 4.1"

Price 290$


3rd print is
from the famous Dutch engraver Jan Luyken (1649-1712),
the page stems from
Christoph Weigel: Ethica Naturalis, published 1690.

http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/Luyken1690B.jpg

An emblematic work, typical for the ?poque of Baroque.
Such "emblemata" consist always of an allegorical picture either from mythology, bible or from nature - (the "icon"),
followed by verses explaining the symbolic content in relation to the readers (called "subscriptio") - here a Latin epigram, telling that the comet is an omen for upcoming evils and a warning of God,
and of course the emblem has a title ("Inscriptio" or "Lemma") - here: "Cometa,
Proles timeat, Patris ignea virga minatur"
(Be afraid, child, the fiery rod of the Father appears)

http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/Luyken1690A.jpg

Later Luyken used that picture also in one of his own emblemata.

Very strong print, few and minor stainings, not affecting the picture.
Little hole in the text, with a los of 3 letters.
We got it already framed, with a green passepartout.
http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/Luyken1690C.jpg

Plate size (picture of the page).
11.8cm x 10.3cm 4.6" x 4.1"
Frame
31cm x 22.5cm 12.2" x 8.9"

Price 280$



4th print is a cute one
by the cartographer Alain Manneson Mallet (1630-1706)
from his widespread book: Description de l?Univers.
Here from the 2nd German edition of 1718.

http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/MalletA.jpg

Shows 3 types of comets above an idealized scenery.
(is the neighbour page of that one, which we discussed once here, presented by Svend Buhl). Mallet prints from the Description de l'Universe aren's so extremely rare as the others, we're showing here - but if one is looking for a particular picture from twork, one has, understandably, to be patient.
The print isn't so unclear, as it firstly (and on the photos)seems.
It's a night scene and the paper is somewhat dark. The lines are sharp.
http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/MalletB.jpg

Clean, paper somewhat thinner than usual.

Plate size
14.2cm x 9.4cm 5.6" x 3.7"

Price 95$



Next item is a very fine book, we really love it!
Comets & Meteorites !

Daniel Haskel:
A Chronological View of the World, New York, 1848.

>From the lengthy title:

"...together with an account of the appearance of comets
And a complete view of the fall of meteoritic stones,
in all ages"

"... with an enlarged view of important events, particularly in regard to American History".

See full title and frontpage here:
http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/HaskelA.jpg

It's a classical chronicle,
begining with the creation of the world on 23.October 4004 B.C.
(hence also suitable for the Usherists here on the list).
Giving for each year in short form, important and meanwhile not so important historic events, all comets, scientific discoveries, and....all reported meteorite falls!!

We meteorite collectors juggle with the names of old falls, as a matter of course, are regarding the properties of the specimens, are estimating the availability and the prices
but often enough, we are not aware, into what for historical circumstances, into what times such a meteorite felt!

And there, this book is really a treasure chest.
With it's short almost catalogue-like entries, it's a fantastic read and reference work, if you like to get to know the historic context of your old observed falls.
Especially I like the focus on American history, which in comparable modern history catalogues are not so detailed presented.

Therefore it's also very helpful for dealers, saving a lot of time, in creating advertisings of observed falls...
And a must for the historical collector.

Here an text example for the year 1804:
http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/HaskelC.jpg


Octavo, decorative binding, corners a little bumped.
Very good block.
http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/HaskelB.jpg

288 pages, first few pages and last few pages foxed, else clean inside.
Very fine copy.

Price 100$


Last but not least, a curiosity:

A painting described to the famous physicist Gustav Robert Kirchhoff (1824-1887).
Kirchhoff was one of the most eminent physicists of his times,
he found the Kirchhoff's circuit laws, as well as the Kirchhoff's law of thermal radiation, the Kirchhoff analyse of solar and stellar matter,
together with his friend Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, he developed the Bunsen-Kirchoff spectral analysis, they finished Frauenhofer's works on spectral-lines, analyzed the solar spectra, deducted and postulated the Black body & radiation, discovered the elements Caesium and Rubidium.

The painting stems from the estate of the family of Max Wolf.
Max Wolf (1863 - 1932) was a pioneer of astrophotography and the leading discoverer of minor planets, 235 he discovered as well as many comets (he re-discovered as first one the return of Halley in 1909), was working on astrometry and found out that the shifting of the lines in the spectra of galaxies are systematic.
Already his father maintained a larger private observatory, (5m astrodome, 6"-double-astrograph), he, his father and his brother were enthusiastic amateur painters.
The Wolfs lived in Heidelberg, Kirchhoff followed Bunsen to Heidelberg in 1857.

The painting is drawn on thick paper, showing a mountainous, but not alpine landscape.
http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/KirchhoffA.jpg

It is not signed, but labelled with an old sticker on the back:
http://www.chladnis-heirs.com/vip/KirchhoffB.jpg

Reads: "Aufsatz Heft von R.Kirchhoff"

Well today in German language an "Aufsatzheft" would be an essay-notebook of a pupil. Here it certainly means sketchbook, like amateur painters had them on their excursions (see also the mature stroke).
Until last year, the painting was still in possession of the family Wolf.

Cause it isn't signed - we sell this item as it is.
 
Size is 22.3cm x 17.7cm 8.8" x 7"

Prize 400$


We hope you enjoyed that ad,
Best wishes
And See you at the Munich Show!

Martin Altmann, Stefan Ralew

Chladni's Heirs
Munich - Berlin
Fine Meteorites for Science & Collectors
Received on Mon 29 Oct 2007 01:06:06 PM PDT