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107 - [ESOTERISM]. DELLA PORTA (Giambattista). Magiæ Naturalis Lib…
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Estimate €400 - €500
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Description
[ESOTERISM]. DELLA PORTA (Giambattista). Magiæ Naturalis Libri Viginti. In which the riches and delights of the natural sciences are demonstrated. A rare edition of this scientific treatise on ‘natural magic’. Frankfurt [Francofurti], Jean Aubry and Claude de Marne, heirs of André Wechel, 1597. In-8 (172 x 105 mm), full vellum, straight smooth spine with the author’s name handwritten at the top. 18 unnumbered folios, 669 pages; 20 vignettes, 2 tables. Binding damaged, caps and corners rubbed, small losses of leather at the joints and on the front cover, foxing, water damage at the top of the first 50 leaves, title page with a small loss of paper, a few tears without losses in the margins. In Latin. A new, amended and ‘purified’ edition of the twenty books of the Natural Magic by Giambattista della Porta (1535–1615), as published in 1589. This treatise was first published in 1558. Originally divided into just four books, the author distinguishes between “infamous” magic, that commonly practised by witches and wizards and which goes against the teachings of the Church, and “natural” magic, which requires no incantations or spells to demonstrate its effects. For della Porta wished to make it a scientific discipline in its own right, enabling him to explain, in the most rational manner possible, all the fantastical phenomena that populate classical literature. Among these wonders are plant grafts, and the relationships of love and hate that bind animals and inanimate objects, influencing their physical condition: thus the fear that the wolf instils in the ewe and the sheep continues even after their death, giving the latter more tender flesh, or clothing more likely to attract vermin, magnetism and optical phenomena. A hand on page 485 points out a technique for making lamp oil last longer: adding a little salt is said to allow it to burn for much longer. Illegible handwritten inscription on the inside front cover. Caillet does not mention our edition. A fine copy preserved in its original binding.
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About the sale Fine antique and collectible books, manuscripts and modern illustrated works
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Auction time 06/29/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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