Cristiano Proliano - Imago Editore - Astrologia di Ferdinando II d’Aragona (anno 1478): edizione facsimile - 2020

Astrology of Ferdinand II of Aragon — Latin MS 53
John Rylands Library, University of Manchester

Facsimile edition

Copy number: 95

Hand-applied gold leaf
Hand-treated parchment paper
Mounted on antique paper
Hand-stitched on cords
Leather binding with blind embossing
77 sheets

Golden skies, celestial geometries and refined vegetal interlacings: a journey into Renaissance knowledge, when the study of the stars sought to reveal the order of the universe.

Ferdinand II of Aragon (1452–1516), called the Catholic, was one of the major protagonists of that era. King of Aragon and husband of Isabella of Castile, he contributed to the dynastic union of the two crowns, a fundamental step in the formation of the Spanish monarchy.

Within the same historical horizon, in the Angevin Naples then governed by Ferdinand I, called Ferrante, this precious manuscript of Cristiano Proliano’s Astronomy was produced in 1478, today preserved at the John Rylands Library in Manchester with the shelf mark Latin MS 53.

The pages join the rigor of astronomical diagrams with the richness of Humanist miniature illumination. Elegant decorations of white garlands, parakeets, butterflies and gold details accompany a text devoted to the elements, the celestial sphere, the movements of the planets, and the eclipses of Sun and Moon.

The initial coat of arms, attributed to Cardinal Giovanni d’Aragona, recalls the prestigious milieu in which the codex took shape. In the following centuries the manuscript also passed into the hands of the famous artist and bibliophile William Morris.

This facsimile edition restores the charm of a work in which science and art meet: the sky becomes a page to read, observe and interpret.

Complete copy with case and commentary.

Published by Imago - The Nobility of the Facsimile