Ubbuchasym de Baldach - Theatrum Sanitatis. Liber Magistri. - 1971

Theatrum Sanitatis. Liber Magistri. Parma, Franco Maria Ricci, 1986. Dimensions 35.5 x 24 cm. Three volumes with richly illustrated plates applied. The publisher's binding in black silk with applied color illustrations. The original cases are preserved, to which are attached labels with handwritten, non-publisher titles. Pages 201, 149, 160. First edition, limited to 2,500 copies reserved for Franco Maria Ricci's bibliophile friends. (Our copy no. 184). In good overall condition. Slight fading on the spines. Slight and rare dust spots on the silk of the bindings.


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Art and history of medicine in an imposing corpus of Lombard miniatures from the fifteenth century that illustrate the medical knowledge of the time with the text of the Arab doctor Ububchasym.

Tacuina sanitatis

The Anger, from the copy of the Tacuinum sanitatis of Vienna (Vindob. Ser. n. 2644)
Under the name 'Tacuina sanitatis,' all those manuals of medical science written and illustrated from the second half of the 14th century to around 1450 are classified. They described, in the form of brief precepts, the medicinal properties of vegetables, fruit trees, spices, and foods, as well as seasons, natural events, and emotional states, detailing their effects on the human body and ways to correct them.

Origin and diffusion
These works mainly based their content on an original text by the Arab doctor Ibn Butlan (transliterated as Ububchasym de Baldach), active in Baghdad around the mid-11th century and who died there in 1052 or 1066. The name likely derives from the Arabic Taqwīm al‑ṣiḥḥa, meaning 'Tables of health.' The Latin translation of the treatise probably took place in the 13th century at the court of King Manfred of Sicily. According to other hypotheses, the names Gerardo da Cremona (1114-1187) and later Faraj ibn Salim (Ferragut), a translator at the court of King Charles I of Anjou of Sicily (1263-1285) in Naples, are mentioned. From then on, the Tacuina sanitatis experienced rapid and widespread dissemination, allowing the European world of the time to learn about the hygienic and dietary standards of Arab rational medicine, which radically changed Western medical practices, which until then were more rooted in inherited traditions, magical beliefs, and religious practices than in an objective study of scientific discipline.

The dissemination of the most famous Tacuina miniati mainly took place in the Lombard area, commissioned by an aristocratic audience, predominantly lay, who were particularly interested in possessing a work that not only advised remedies for maintaining health but also made learning such norms easier and more enjoyable through a brief but precise text accompanied by sumptuous miniatures. Thus, these texts transitioned from an initial practical function to a primarily aesthetic one over time. Thanks to the meticulous and vivid illustrations that were developed within them, the Tacuina still constitute an iconographic source of exceptional richness and importance for the study of various aspects of human life during the medieval period.

Style and general features
Tacuina dealt with the six fundamental things to stay healthy: suitable foods and drinks, movement and rest, good air, frequent sleep, and emotional regulation. Some of these miniature codes have survived to our time; of these, three are considered of greater value: one is kept in Vienna (National Library), one in Paris (National Library of France), and another in Rome (Casanatense Library), which, unlike the other two, is called Theatrum sanitatis.

In each Tacuinum, the text occupies only a few lines at the bottom of each page, with the remaining space entirely dedicated to a miniature illustrating the specific subject to which the precept refers. The miniatures depict plants, vegetables, fruits, along with women and men indicating their methods of cultivation, harvesting, or preparation. Interior scenes of workshops are also shown, where healthy products and vendors preparing or selling them can be seen. Essentially, what we see on the pages of the Tacuinum sanitatis is a clear transposition of a serene medieval reality, illustrated with rich detail and evocative descriptions of that reality. These depictions are unique in their kind, not only for style and composition but also, and most importantly, for the great narrative freshness characteristic of the Gothic-international style.