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16th-century highlighted in gold manuscript of Hafez's collected works: a pinnacle of Persian literature

HAFEZ (HAFIZ) [Khwaaja Shams-ud-Din Muhammad Hafez-e Shirazi]. [The Divân of Hafez].
[Persia], 983 AH [= 1575-76 CE]. 21.3 x 16 cm. Illuminated manuscript on paper, written in a fine nasta'liq script in black ink in 2 columns of 15 lines per page. The two columns of text are written in a panel measuring 14 x ca. 7.4 cm, most of the text is written in a simple frame built up from lines in black, turquoise, gold, and blue. The text begins with a beautiful blue and gold headpiece with small white, red, gold, and light blue flowers. Leaves 1v and 2r are beautifully highlighted in gold and decorated with intricate flower designs, vertically in between the text columns one finds small flowers in gold, white, red, brown, and light blue on a background of gold, horizontally between the text one finds gold highlights and banners of samll white, red, brown, and light blue flowers on a kobalt blue (and 1 one instance black) background, the two columns together are surrounded by frame with incredibly intricate gold and blue flowers and blue dots on a clear background, the larger margins on these leaves are beautifully decorated with an intricate flower-and-vine design in gold, outlined in black and the centers of the flowers are either red or blue. The text on leaves 2v and 3r is surrounded by the same frame of incredibly intricate gold and blue flowers and blue dots, with some additional colourful lines surrounding this frame. Leaf 8 is sprinkled with gold paint, the margins of leaf 18 are decorated with gold dots. All text (and decorations) is surrounded by a thin black double-line frame spanning 2 facing pages (ca. 21.8 x 30 cm). Later half black leather and multicolour painted and lacquered paper over paper boards. The painted sides show (from the outside in) a 0.4 cm blue frame around a 1.2 cm border of orange and green flowers with red details on a yellow background, this is followed by another 0.4 blue frame which surrounds the main decoration: large flowers in red, yellow, green, and blue on a vibrant orange background. [92] ll. Full description
€ 25,000
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Introducing the Dutch standard method of calculating latitude in the 19th century

HAZEWINKEL, Abraham Cornelis. Handleiding om op verschillende wijzen de breedte buiten den middag of meridiaan te vinden, door waarnemingen aan de zon of starren.
Groningen, R.J. Schierbeek, 1827. 8vo. With a lithographed folding plate and numerous letterpress tables (numbered I-VI, but some spread over several pages). Contemporary boards, covered with red sprinkled paper, rebacked with brown paper tape. 10, [2], [42], 66 pp., 3, [1] ll. Full description
€ 850
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On the flower that holds the first rank among all the flowers in the garden

HOGG, Thomas. A concise and practical treatise on the growth and culture of the carnation, pink, auricula, polyanthus, ranunculus, tulip, and other flowers. Including a dissertation on soils and manures, and containing also a catalogue of the finest and most-esteemed carnations, &c. that are cultivated by the amateur florist, and exhibited at the different prize-shows round London, and other parts of England. To which are added rules and regulations of the Islington & Chelsea florists' societies.
London, [1820]. 8vo. With a full page coloured lithographed plate of "a bizarre Carnation". Contemporary grey paper boards. XII, 172 pp. Full description
€ 1,250
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Spectacular 17th-century jewelled binding with a noble provenance

[JEWELLED BINDING - FRENCH PRAYER BOOK]. L'abbé de la HOGUE. La journée du chrétien, sanctifiée par la prière et la méditation.
Lyon and Paris, Librairie Catolique de Perisse frères, 1844. 16mo. Binding: ca. 11 x 7 x 2.5 cm. With a small printer's device on the title page. 17th-century elaborately jewelled and decorated gilt silver binding with a gilt silver imperial double-headed eagle and two hands holding a heart centre piece, below Jesus on the cross (with an added skull and bones at the foot of the cross) and ornamental gilt silver corner pieces connected to the gilt silver board edge fittings on both boards. The whole is set with numerous jewels (amethysts, garnets, turquoise, and (simulated) sapphires). With two jewelled clasps closing on pegs in the fore edge of the front board, gilt edges, red velvet paste-downs and blue silk flyleaves backed with paper. VIII, 524, [5], [3 blank] pp. Full description
€ 65,000
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The first publication of Kepler's third law, first edition of the Harmonices

KEPLER, Johannes. Harmonices Mundi Libri V. Quorum.
Linz, Johannes Planck for Gottfried Tampach, 1619.
With: (2) KEPLER, Johannes. Pro suo opere Harmonices Mundi Apologia.
Frankfurt, Gottfried Tampach, 1622. 2 works in 1 volume. Folio (30.2 x 19.4 cm). 4 engraved plates and 1 folding plate.
Contemporary vellum, spine lettered in ink with paper labels in fragments at head and foot of spine. [1], [1 blank], [5], [1 blank], 66, 255, [1 blank]; 50 pp. Full description
€ 220,000
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Spectacular 18th-century Dutch composite sea atlas with 3 detailed manuscript charts,
all charts and the engraved title page expertly coloured by a contemporary hand

[KEULEN, Gerard and Johannes van, and others]. [Composite sea atlas containing 56 detailed charts including 3 manuscript charts].
Amsterdam, [Johannes van Keulen and others, 1700-1753, engraved title page dated 1734]. Large folio (61.5 x40.5 cm). With an engraved allegorical title page by Aernout Nagtegael after Jan Luyken, and 56 detailed sea charts, the whole expertly coloured by a contemporary hand. The atlas includes 22 large folding charts, including 3 highly interesting manuscript charts, 27 double-page charts, 1 full-page chart, and 6 half-page charts, most of them with beautiful cartouches, depicting views, local people, and merchandise. The maps are engraved and originally edited by the most famous Dutch cartographers and map-publishers of the late 17th- and early 18th centuries. Contemporary blind-tooled vellum, with green cloth closing ties. Title page and 56 charts. Full description
€ 495,000
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Best and only folio edition of an encyclopedic work of eccentric genius on magnetism

KIRCHER, Athanasius. Magnes sive de arte magnetica opus tripartitum quo universa magnetis natura, eiusque in omnibus scientiis & artibus usus, nova methodo explicatur: …
Rome, Biagio Diversin and Zanobio Masotti (printed by Vitale Mascardi), 1654. Folio. With engraved frontispiece by F. Valentius, letterpress title page printed in red and black with engraved double publisher's device, full-page engraved plate with the portrait of Emperor Ferdinand IV, 34 mostly full-page engraved illustrations, 215 woodcut illustrations and about 50 letterpress tables. Contemporary overlapping vellum. [32], 618, [28] pp. Full description
€ 17,500
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Sumptuously bound for the author for presentation to G.P. Oliva,
Superior General of the Jesuit Society, on Royal paper

KIRCHER, Athanasius. Ars magna sciendi, in XII libros digesta, qua nova & universali methodo ... [vol. 2 half-title:] Artis magnae seu combinatoriae sciendi, ... [titles on the frontispieces:] Ars magna sciendi sive combinatoria [vol. 1] Artis magnae combinatoriae [vol. 2].
Amsterdam, Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge and the widow of Elizaeus Weyerstraten, 1669. 2 volumes bound as 1. Royal folio (46 x 30 x 5.5 cm). With 2 richly engraved allegorical frontispieces, an engraved plate with a full-page portrait of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, an engraved plate showing all knowledge of the universe organised as a tree, 2 engraved volvelles (with 4 rotating dials), 20 further engravings on integral leaves and a couple dozen woodcut figures in the text. Contemporary richly gold-tooled red goatskin morocco decorated a petit fers, gold-tooled turn-ins, board edges and raised bands, giving a total of more than 1500 impressions of about 14 stamps and 3 rolls, edges gilt over red and blue squiggles. Janssonius van Waesberge, who published Kircher's books in Amsterdam from 1664/65 to 1682, arranged to have copies of several luxuriously bound for Kircher to present to leading figures and this is almost certainly one of them, presented to Giovanni Paolo Oliva, Superior General of the Jesuit Society. [18], 482, [10] pp. (including 2 integral frontispieces), plus 4 inserted tables & 2 plates. Full description
€ 50,000
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