Animali mitologici - 1600

Lot consisting of 3 sheets dating to 1600 with in total 9 woodcuts of mythical animals among which the Harpies, myth figures with bird body and woman’s face; the Sphinxes, with a lion’s body; the gigantic Roc, a bird capable of lifting an elephant; a griffin, whose lion body blends into an eagle’s head.

The representations are accompanied by Latin text describing their peculiarities and characteristics.

The three sheets come from Aldrovandi’s Ornithology, a fundamental work published in 1599-1600-1602 that opens the Historia Naturalis series of the eminent Bologna scholar.

The condition is excellent, thanks to the superior quality of Italian papers from the 16th/17th centuries, far better than contemporary foreign productions such as, for example, those from the German-speaking area.

Accurate and prompt shipping.