Research Catalog

Title

Ortus sanitatis : De herbis & plantis : De animalibus & reptilibus : De auibus & volatilibus : De piscibus & natatilibus : De lapidibus & in terre venis nasce[n]tibus : De vrinis & earum speciebus : Tabula medicinalis : cum Directorio generali per omnes tractatus.

Publication

[Strasbourg] : [Johann Prüss], [approximately 1497]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Prüss, Johann, 1446 or 1447-1510
• Cuba, Johannes von, active 1484-1503
• Perez de Nagore, Martín, 1584-1662

Description

[720] pages : illustrations (woodcuts); 32 cm (fol.)

Uniform Title

Hortus sanitatis.

Subjects

• Botany > Pre-Linnean works
• Urine > Analysis > Early works to 1800
• Medicine, Medieval
• Natural history > Pre-Linnean works
• Woodcuts > France > 15th century
• Herbals > Early works to 1800
• Bookbinding (Binding) > 16th century
• Zoology > Pre-Linnean works
• Incunabula > France > Strasbourg
• Natural history in art > Early works to 1800
• Plants in art > Early works to 1800
• Animals in art > Early works to 1800
• Manicules (Provenance)
• Botany, Medical > Early works to 1800
• Woodcuts > Germany > 15th century
• Zoology, Medical > Early works to 1800
• Materia medica > Early works to 1800

Genre/Form

• Incunabula – France – Strasbourg.
• Woodcuts – France – 15th century.
• Woodcuts – Germany – 15th century.
• Bookbinding (Binding) – 16th century.
• Manicules (Provenance)

Note

• Sometimes wrongly attributed to Johannes von Cuba, by confusion with Gart der Gesundheit, a related work in German first published by Peter Schöffer in Mainz, 1485.
• On title page, title of each treatise (beginning with "De") is printed on a new line; last three letters of "nasce[n]tibus" are printed at end of previous line following a blank space. Remainder of title beginning with "Tabula" printed on two lines.
• Place of printing and name of printer from Incunabula short title catalogue and other sources cited below.
• Approximate date of printing from Incunabula short title catalogue.
• The first or second of 3 Prüss editions, all with 360 leaves; another is dated "not after 21 Oct. 1497" (ISTC ih00487000) on the basis of an inscription in the Harvard Arnold Arboretum copy; the third is now dated approximately 1507 (ISTC ih00489000), but formerly (Goff and others) approximately 1499. Universal short title catalogue gives date of the present edition as 1496; some sources give date as approximately 1496; Catalogue of the fifteenth-century printed books in the Harvard University Library gives date as "1496?" (that is, earliest of the Prüss editions) on the basis of the condition of some of the cuts. However, since two large cuts are reported as first used in Hieronymus Brunschwig, Chirurgia (Buch der Cirurgia), published in Strasbourg by Johann Grüninger, 4 July 1497, Baumann and others conclude that the earliest Prüss edition was published after that date.
• Ampersands in title transcription and in signature collation represent tironian signs. On title page of both other Prüss editions, "et" is used instead after "herbis," "auibus" and "vrinis"; on title page of the third Prüss edition, "et" is used throughout except after "lapidibus."
• "Tractatus de animalibus" and "Tractatus de vrinis" have special title page.
• Original edition published in Mainz by Jacob Meydenbach, 1491.
• Signatures: a⁸ b-k⁶ l⁸ m-r⁶ s⁸ t-z⁶ 2A⁶ 2B⁸ 2C-2E⁶ 2F⁸ 2G-2I⁶ A⁸ B-C⁶ D⁸ E-H⁶ I⁸ K-O⁶ "PqrsT"⁶ V⁶ X⁸ Y-Z⁶ &⁸ 2a⁶ 2b⁴ 2c-2e⁶. Some errors in signing.
• Gothic type; 2 columns, 55 lines. Capital spaces, most with guide letters.
• Spencer coll. copy: Title page to "Tractatus de vrinis" (leaf 2a1r) has Tractatus spelled correctly and an uppercase "V" in "vrinis." Other copies have a different setting, with "Trattatus" and a lowercase "v."
• Illustrations: 3 full-page woodcuts and 1064 column-width woodcuts in the text (with repetitions), one small cut per chapter, with two exceptions: chapter ccx (gallitricu[m] agreste) in the treatise on plants is unillustrated in this edition, and chapter 1 ([h]omo) in the treatise on animals is illustrated only by the large cut of a human skeleton on the facing page. The large cuts are: magister or physician (in white shoes) sitting and four students standing, on title page verso (a1v); human skeleton, on leaf A1v; and apothecary shop (with apothecary or student, sitting, and physician, standing; two shelves and two stars), on leaf 2a1v. The first and last of these are from Hieronymus Brunschwig, Chirurgia (Buch der Cirurgia), Strasbourg, Johann Grüninger, 4 July 1497; the skeleton is also found in some copies of the Chirurgia as part of an appendix "Von der Anathomi," which may also have been issued separately (see Sudhoff, K. Deutsche medizinische Inkunabeln, no. 56). Many of the small cuts are from the blocks used by Meydenbach in the 1491 edition; others are from the Grüninger edition of Gart der Gesundheit (Strasbourg, after 31 March 1487). For a detailed analysis of the cuts in the Meydenbach edition and the cuts in Grüniger's Gart der Gesundheit, see: Baumann, Brigitte. Die Mainzer Kräuterbuch-Inkunabeln "Herbarius Moguntinus" (1484), "Gart der Gesundheit" (1485), "Hortus sanitatis" (1491), 2010, pages 177-225; for the present edition, see Baumann, pages 235-237. See also Klebs (cited below); Joseph Frank, "On the Herbarius and Hortus sanitatis," in Transactions of the Bibliographical Society, v. 6 (October 1900-March 1902), pages 63-126.

Indexed In (note)

• Incunabula short title catalogue
• Universal short title catalogue
• Art ancien, S.A. Catalogue of early herbals : mostly from the well-known library of Dr. Karl Becher, Karlsbad
• Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Inkunabelkatalog
• Bibliothèque nationale (France). Catalogue des incunables
• Catalogue of books printed in the fifteenth century now in the Bodleian Library, Oxford
• Catalogue of the fifteenth-century printed books in the Harvard University Library
• Choulant, L. Graphische Incunabeln für Naturgeschichte und Medicin
• Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke
• Goff, F.R. Incunabula in American libraries
• Hain, L. Repertorium bibliographicum
• Copinger, W.A. Supplement to Hain's Repertorium bibliographicum
• Reichling, D. Appendices ad Hainii-Copingeri Repertorium bibliographicum (supplement)
• Klebs, A.C. "Incunabula lists. I. Herbals." In Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, 11-12 (1917-1918): 75-92, 41-53
• Klebs, A.C. Incunabula scientifica et medica
• Kristeller, P. Strassburger Bücher-Illustration im XV. und im Anfange des XVI. Jahrhunderts
• Muther, R. Deutsche Bücherillustration der Gothik und Frührenaissance (1460-1530)
• New York Public Library. Spencer Collection of illustrated books
• Nissen, C. Botanische Buchillustration
• Schramm, A. Bilderschmuck der Frühdrucke
• Schreiber, W.L. Manuel de l'amateur de la gravure sur bois et sur métal au XVe siècle

Additional Formats (note)

• Also available online (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek copy) via MDZ/BSB.

Provenance (note)

• Early ownership marks and other inscriptions on title page, partly erased; include "Augustae Vindelicorum [Augsburg], 1517." Inscription on title page verso: "Expunctum ex com[m]is[s]ione Domino[rum] Inquisito[rum] Aragoniae secundum Catholicam anni 1640 in Conuentu Carmelitarum. Martinus Perez de Nagore, propositionum fidei censor." Early manuscript marginalia, including manicules, and underscoring.

Binding (note)

• Probably early sixteenth century brown calf, gilt. Sides within two ornamental stamped bands of similar design with the insignia of the Society of Jesus in the center. Recently rebacked. Spine lettered in gilt: Hortus sanitatis. Strassburg, 1496.

Call Number

Spencer Coll. Ger. 1496 (Hortus sanitatis)

LCCN

2012660156

OCLC

812122521

Title

Ortus sanitatis : De herbis & plantis : De animalibus & reptilibus : De auibus & volatilibus : De piscibus & natatilibus : De lapidibus & in terre venis nasce[n]tibus : De vrinis & earum speciebus : Tabula medicinalis : cum Directorio generali per omnes tractatus.

Publisher

[Strasbourg] : [Johann Prüss], [approximately 1497]

Type of Content

text

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Physical Medium

folio rdabf

Indexed In:

Incunabula short title catalogue, ih00488000 https://data.cerl.org/istc/ih00488000

Universal short title catalogue, 740925 https://ustc.ac.uk/index.php/record/740925

Art ancien, S.A. Catalogue of early herbals : mostly from the well-known library of Dr. Karl Becher, Karlsbad, entry 47

Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Inkunabelkatalog, H-390 https://inkunabeln.digitale-sammlungen.de/Ausgabe_H-390.html

Bibliothèque nationale (France). Catalogue des incunables, H-296

Catalogue of books printed in the fifteenth century now in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, H-221 http://incunables.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/record/H-221

Catalogue of the fifteenth-century printed books in the Harvard University Library, entry 211

Choulant, L. Graphische Incunabeln für Naturgeschichte und Medicin, page 63, no. 16

Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke, 13549 http://www.gesamtkatalogderwiegendrucke.de/docs/GW13549.htm

Goff, F.R. Incunabula in American libraries, H-488

Hain, L. Repertorium bibliographicum, *8942

Copinger, W.A. Supplement to Hain's Repertorium bibliographicum, *8942

Reichling, D. Appendices ad Hainii-Copingeri Repertorium bibliographicum (supplement), entry 197 (Tractatus de urinis)

Klebs, A.C. "Incunabula lists. I. Herbals." In Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, 11-12 (1917-1918): 75-92, 41-53, page 50, no. 2

Klebs, A.C. Incunabula scientifica et medica, entry 509.2

Kristeller, P. Strassburger Bücher-Illustration im XV. und im Anfange des XVI. Jahrhunderts, entry 39

Muther, R. Deutsche Bücherillustration der Gothik und Frührenaissance (1460-1530), no. 541

New York Public Library. Spencer Collection of illustrated books, page 38

Nissen, C. Botanische Buchillustration, entry 2364

Schramm, A. Bilderschmuck der Frühdrucke, v. 20, pages 14, 27, plates 190-197, figures 1495-1608; plate 52, figures 348-349

Schreiber, W.L. Manuel de l'amateur de la gravure sur bois et sur métal au XVe siècle, v. 5, entry 4249

Additional Formats

Also available online (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek copy) via MDZ/BSB.

Binding

Probably early sixteenth century brown calf, gilt. Sides within two ornamental stamped bands of similar design with the insignia of the Society of Jesus in the center. Recently rebacked. Spine lettered in gilt: Hortus sanitatis. Strassburg, 1496. NN

Provenance

Early ownership marks and other inscriptions on title page, partly erased; include "Augustae Vindelicorum [Augsburg], 1517." Inscription on title page verso: "Expunctum ex com[m]is[s]ione Domino[rum] Inquisito[rum] Aragoniae secundum Catholicam anni 1640 in Conuentu Carmelitarum. Martinus Perez de Nagore, propositionum fidei censor." Early manuscript marginalia, including manicules, and underscoring. NN

Place of Publication

France Strasbourg.

Added Author

Prüss, Johann, 1446 or 1447-1510, printer.

Cuba, Johannes von, active 1484-1503, attributed name.

Perez de Nagore, Martín, 1584-1662, censor. NN

Research Call Number

Spencer Coll. Ger. 1496 (Hortus sanitatis)