Lot 149
Horus Apollo Nilialus
Rare Books, Manuscripts & Photographs
Auction: 16 January 2008 at 11:00 GMT
Description
De hieroglyphicis notis, a Bernardino Trebatio Vicentino latinitate donatus. Paris: Robert Estienne, 1530, 8vo. ff. 28 (iv), printer's falling branch device on title, 19th century quarter vellum, marbled boards, corners worn, faint contemporary 12 line manuscript annotations on verso of last leaf, small stain to upper margin of first few leaves
Footnote
Note: The only ancient work that has come down to us on the interpretation of hieroglyphs, first printed in 1505 by Aldus in his collection of Greek fables, and in the translation of Trabatio in 1515. The work was supposedly written in Egyptian by Horapollo and later translated to Greek. Its style, which seems to resemble more that of Elien and his fantastical stories, than of anything relating to ancient Egypt, led to it being discredited of having any true historical value. However Champollion, after his studies on the Rosetta stone, re-examined this work and felt that it had more to do with the symbolic images found on Egyptian monuments than hieroglyphs themselves thus concluding that the only thing intrinsically wrong with the book was its title.
Thorndike VI, BM STC C16 Fr. p. 230. Adams H 848. Renouard 34 : 13.
This edition not in Caillet.
Provenance: Stamp of H.G. Doggett on fly, Elizabeth Armstrong's printed ex-libris on first pastedown.