Rare and attractive leaf with 5 beautifully hand-coloured woodcuts from one of the most famous Renaissance books on prodigies and extraordinary natural phenomena printed in Basel 1557. These early woodcuts depict multiple illustrations of prodigies and omens, including a violent encounter scene before a fortified town, a depiction of a basilisk in the form of a monstrous rooster confronting a man, a double-bodied human anomaly representing a monstrous birth, and a celestial vision of a lion and bear engaged in combat, all rendered in the expressive and symbolic style characteristic of 16th-century prodigy literature. The leaf originates from the celebrated Renaissance chronicle of wonders by Conrad Lycosthenes, Prodigiorum ac Ostentorum Chronicon (Basel, 1557) and draws on classical and medieval sources of its time such as Sebastian Münster, Conrad Gesner, Cardano and Paracelsus. The work reflects the Renaissance fascination with unusual natural phenomena, monsters, mythical creatures and other marvels of nature at the crossroads of early science, astrology and natural history. Dimensions: 26,5 x 19 cm Good condition, a few small spots, old crease. Attention for US buyers: Due to recent export problems higher shipping costs to the US apply!