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ALDE
60
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TRITHÈME (Jean). Polygraphie et universelle escriture cabali…
See original version (French)
60
-
TRITHÈME (Jean). Polygraphie et universelle escriture cabali…
See original version (French)
Estimate €1,500 - €2,000
Voluntary lot
Description
TRITHÈME (Jean). Polygraphie et universelle escriture cabalistique. Paris, Jacques Kerver, 1561. 3 parts in one volume in-4, ivory stiff vellum, smooth muted spine, mottled edges (pastiche binding). First French edition of this famous treatise on cryptography.
It was translated by Gabriel de Collange (1524-1572), who dedicated it to King Charles IX, whose personal secretary he was. A devotee of numerology and the cabala, this fervent Catholic was assassinated during the Saint Bartholomew's Day.
The first part contains the treatise on cryptography by the German Benedictine monk Johann von Trittenheim (1462-1516), written in Latin and published in Basel in 1518. The other two parts are the work of the French translator: the second is a general introduction to Trittenheim's approach; the third contains the plates, accompanied by an explanatory text by Collange.
The work, remarkably printed in red and black, includes a decorated title in a frame, repeated three times, a portrait of Gabriel de Collange on the verso of each, and 13 scroll plates, complete with their movable parts, consisting of a disc decorated with masks and animal heads and allegorical spandrels, all elegantly wood-engraved.
Handwritten bookplate on title: Catal. inscript. Martini Charriere. Armorial woodcut bookplate.
Worm hole filled in on a hundred or so leaves, minor spotting not serious.
Brunet, V, 960 - Brun, 305 - Mortimer, II, 528 - Caillet, n°10850 - Guaita, n°1027 - Dorbon, n°4957.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
Antiquarian books from the 15th to the 19th century - Astronomy
Auction location
Auction time
06/24/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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