Usage Calendrier Gregorian (1 results)

llustrated manuscript on vellum in French. 20 lines, written in brown ink on vellum, in a neat French cursive bookhand. Pages are numbered in brown ink, ruled by a gold and blue double-frame. Decorated with numerous gilt initials, tail, and headpieces. Illustrated with several tables, diagrams, and figures in blue, red, brown, and gold. Two, contemporary, stiff, prepared paper of fabric leaves bound after, with drawings and names (eg. Marie de Lorraine) probably in silverpoint. Gilt edges. In later decorative, gold-tooled, oriental green maroquin binding with matching, brown and red leather doublure. The front panel is not presented, some of the onlays and most of the gems from the outer board and spine are missing. Housed in a custom made black solander-box. Despite the flaws of the binding, the manuscript itself is in fine condition. pp. 1158 [2] [2 (blank)] 159224 [2] [2 (blank, but ruled)] and [2 hard paper leaves with possible possessor's inscriptions and drawings in pencil] [1 blank leaf of paper]. Size:. 17th-century illustrated scientific manuscript book in French, with an early description of the use of the proportional compass. The manuscript is divided into seven chapters of scientific topics. It contains a long text on various aspects of the Gregorian calendar and related calculations, a description of methods for constructing sundials, an extensive list of geographic coordinates of major cities worldwide, determination of sunrise and sunset times in Paris for the year, an introduction to the use of the proportional compass, a register of French monarchs, and tables with the properties of distinct cannons (Calibres de France). The first and longest section, Usage du calendrier gregorian (pp. 1154), is an astrological text explaining the use of the Gregorian calendar. It defines units of time from hours to years, describes various methods to understand and count dates, and provides numerous illustrations and figures. These include a double-page table of the planetary hours (pp. 1011); an astrological chart of the seven classical planets (p. 14); two figures for finger counting dates and the epact (p. 36; 57); a table and a chart with dominical letters of which the latter is for the years between 1625 and 1654 (p. 41; 44); a table and a chart of epact for the nineteen years of the Metonic cycle (p. 54; 59 [from 1625 to 1643]); a table of epact determining the paschal full moon (p. 67); a six-page complex table determining the dates of the moveable feasts (Ash Wednesday, Easter, Feast of the Ascension, Pentacost, Feast of the Holy Trinity) for the years between 1629 and 1700, it also features the epact, the Metonic and Solar cycles, and the dominical letters of each year (pp. 7277); the final part is a lengthy chart determining the exact times of new moon and eclipses for the years between 1630 until 1700, with the degree and the symbols of the relevant zodiac, appended with a one-page list of the names of the twelve zodiac signs and the seven classical planets with their symbols. The rulings of the tables and charts are either in red or blue, for the titles and the values the opposite color, gilt, or brown was used. The text is decorated with a gilt floral headpiece, many tailpieces, and several initials. The second section, Methode mecanique po.r construire un Quadran Horisontal et Vertical non declinant (pp. 155159), deals with constructing different sundials and is illustrated with a full-page geometric figure in brown, red, and gilt. It is decorated with a lavish gilt floral headpiece, two tailpieces, and several initials. The third section, Table contenant les longitudes et latitudes des principales villes et autres lieux (pp. 160187), is an extensive alphabetical list of major cities worldwide with their geographic coordinates. Besides French and European towns, it includes several locations in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. The chapter is decorated with gilt initials, a gilt floral headpiece with birds and a head, and the table is ruled in red and blue. The fourth part, Du lever et coucher du soleil soubs .48. degrez de Latitude (pp. 188193), provides sunrise and sunset times for every tenth day of each month at the 48th parallel north, the latitude of Paris. This section is richly decorated, with a large gilt initial and an almost full-page gilt figural tailpiece. Each month's name is written in gilt, relevant zodiac signs are in blue, and starting days of the signs are in red. The fifth chapter, Usage du compas de proportion (pp. 194213), discusses the use of the sector, a recent invention of the 16th century. This is a very early French text on the instrument, considering the first French book on the sector, Denis Henrion's Usage du compas de proportion, was published in 1618. The chapter is illustrated with twelve geometric diagrams and decorated with a floral headpiece, gilt initials, and a tailpiece. The sixth part, Liste et cathologue des Roys de France (pp. 214219), lists and dates the French monarchs from Pharamond to Louis XIII ("Louys 13, que Nostre Seigneur preserve"). The chapter is decorated with a gilt floral headpiece and initial, each date written in red, the dynasties and the first letters of each sovereign in gilt. The seventh and final section, Instructio touchant le Canon (pp. 220[226]), presents the properties of twelve different cannons. The chapter expands the ordinary system of standardization of cannons in France, the so-called Calibres de France, which contains six standard calibers of artillery weapons. The text is decorated with a gilt floral headpiece and all the initials are gilt. The last two stiff, prepared leaves contain broadly contemporary inscriptions of two names, a short, partly illegible note which also contains a name ("Capitan Pisonte"), an unfinished doodle of a coat-of-arms, and a copy of Dürer's magic square with the word "Bere'" written under the square. One of the names is "Marie delorraine," who could be Marie d.