Rare and attractive leaf with 8 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 Roman omens: a sacred object falling by itself, a vulture entering a shop, milk raining from the sky, a child born with an elephant-like head, temples struck by lightning, a swarm of bees settling in a forum, a lake flowing with blood, plague, and abnormal organs found in sacrificed animals. 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 18,8 cm Good condition. Attention to US buyers: due to new regulations we only ship with DHL or UPS to the US, therefore higher shipping costs apply!