Rare Aldine, handsomely bound
SENECA, Lucius Annaeus. Naturalium quaestionum libri VII. Matthaei Fortunati in eosdem libros annotationes. Index rerum notatu dignarum in calce operis appositus. [(Colophon:) Venice; Heirs of Aldo Manuzio and Andrea Torresano. February 1522.]
4to. Mid 19-century olive morocco by Zaehnsdorf, boards richly gilt to a panelled design with corner pieces, gilt printer’s device of Aldo Manuzio amidst a semé of fleurs-de-lis to centre of each cover, spine gilt in compartments with raised bands, lettered directly to one, others with a semé of fleurs-de-lis, gilt doublures, gilt edges; ff. [6], 130, [6], italic type, woodcut Aldine devices to recto of first leaf and verso of final, initial spaces with guide letters; some light wear to joints, raised bands and corners; closed tear to lower corner of final leaf (not affecting text and repaired), otherwise a remarkably well-preserved copy; armorial bookplate of Edward Sullivan to front pastedown (see below); bookplate of Edward Bond by George W. Eve, dated 1905, to front free endpaper.
First Aldine edition of Seneca’s treatises on natural phenomena, one of the rarest Aldine publications, in a striking binding by the Austrian craftsman Joseph Zaehnsdorf (1816-1886), celebrated as one of Europe’s foremost custom binders.
Traditionally rendered in English as Natural Questions (though more aptly translated as Natural Inquiries or Inquiries into Nature) the title Naturales Quaestiones suggests a broad investigation of the natural world. Seneca opens the work by proclaiming his intention to “traverse the world” and “investigate nature” without restriction. However, the text does not include extended discussions on cosmology, astronomy, or biology, subjects one might expect in a treatise on nature. Instead, the seven books of the Quaestiones correspond broadly to the ancient field of meteorologia, with their subject matter summarised as follows:
• Book One: Meteors, rainbows, and other optical meteorological phenomena.
• Book Two: Lightning and thunder.
• Book Three: Rivers.
• Book Four: The Nile River, clouds, rain, hail, and snow.
• Book Five: Winds.
• Book Six: Earthquakes.
• Book Seven: Comets.
The text offers not only a glimpse into ancient philosophical and scientific approaches to the physical world but also vivid portrayals of nature’s grandeur, beauty, and terror. Among the topics addressed, Seneca discusses meteors and comets, arguing that they originate and persist in the atmosphere. Rejecting the prevailing view of his time that comets are temporary atmospheric phenomena, he instead contends that they are celestial bodies akin to planets. In Book Six, Seneca emerges as a sponsor of geographical and scientific investigation, when he recounts that he sent two centurions to locate the sources of the Nile.
This Aldine edition was edited by Matteo Fortunato (c. 1480-1528), a humanist scholar of Hungarian origins. Educated in Padua, Fortunato oversaw the printing of Seneca’s work, revising previous editions of the Quaestiones, including the editio princeps of 1490, and paying particular attention to Erasmus of Rotterdam’s 1515 edition, published by Froben in Basel. Fortunato’s meticulous efforts earned the admiration of Erasmus, who expressed his gratitude in subsequent editions of Seneca’s Opera (1529 and 1537). “Fortunato,” Erasmus wrote, “a learned, diligent man of prudent and sound judgement, examined the Naturales Quaestiones with the utmost care, becoming the benchmark for all future editions” (preface to L. Annei Senecae Opera, Basel, Johann Herwagen, 1537).
Provenance: From the library of Sir Edward Sullivan, 1st Baronet (1822-1885), Irish lawyer, Liberal MP and Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1883 to 1885; sold at the sale of his library, Sotheby’s 19th May 1890, lot 247.
Adams S 932; BM STC, Italian Books S 621; Edit16 CNCE 37693; Renouard 96, 10 (“Ce livre est depuis long-temps regardé comme un de plus rares de ceux qu’ont imprimés les Alde”); Schweiger II 918 (“M. Fortunatus will mehrere Hdschr. Genau verglichen u. viele tausend Fehler verbessert haben. Eine der seltesten Aldinen”).
See Harry M. Hine, Introduction to Lucius Annaeus Seneca: Natural Questions. The Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca. Chicago/London: The University of Chicago Press, 2010.
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