Re: The Children of the Planets

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The Children of the Planets and Almanac attributed to Finigeurra / Baldini

Quote:
The original prints from which these two plates are engraved, belong to a set which consists of eight; seven of them represent the seven planets, and the influence those heavenly bodies are supposed to have upon the human constitution. The plate marked with the No. II. served as the frontispiece; it is a sort of almanac, exhibiting a calendar of the saints days, and a calculation of the day on which Easter would fall, from 1465 to 1517 inclusive'. Upon twelve small circles in the middle of the plate, are represented the employments" for the twelve months of the year, with the zodiacal sign belonging to each month; and the gradual increase and decrease of the days, is expressed by the extent of the shadow upon the border, within which these delineations are enclosed. They are as follows:

January. An elderly gentleman seated at a table, spread with provisions, near the fire, holding a glass with liquor in his hand.

February. The gardener digging his ground.

March. The employment of the two figures represented in this compartment is rather obscure; probably the man is planting shrubs or herbs in the garden, according to the direction of the lady who is standing by him.

April. Hawking and hunting the hare.

May. Running at the ring.

June. Mowing.

July. Gathering in corn and thrashing.

August. Sickness; the doctor is examining the urinal.

September. Gathering grapes.

October. Making wine.

November. Ploughing.

December. Killing of Swine, and providing the good fare for Christmas.

Image


The following directions are written in Italian at the bottom of the plate: If you will know when Easter shall be, find the date of the year in this engraving, the letter A.standing for April, and the letter M. for March.

PLATE III. represents the planet Venus, she appears in the clouds riding in her chariot drawn by doves, accompanied by Cupid, who has just discharged art* arrow at one of the ladies standing in the balcony; at a distance we see an unfortunate lover upon his knees, invoking the assistance of the deity; the rest of the figures appear to be immediately under the direction of her powerful influence. On the wheels of her chariot are represented the Bull and the Balance, with these inscriptions: TORO and BILANCE, the signs of the zodiac over which this planet was supposed to preside.

Image


At the bottom of this and six other plates, are inscriptions importing the properties of the planets represented upon them. I shall give the following entirely as a specimen for the whole; one line of it only being copied upon the plate No. III.

VENERE. E SEGNO. FEMININO. POSTA. NEL. TERZO. CIELO. FREDDA. E VMIDA. TENPERATA. LA QVALE. AQVESTE. PROPRIETA. EAMA BELLI. VESTIMENTI. ORNATI. DQRO. E DARGENTO. E CHANZONE. E GAVDII. E GVOCHI. ET. E LACIVA. ET HA DOLCE PARLARE. EBELLA NELLIOCHI. E NELLA. FRONTE. E DI. CORPO. LEGGIERI. PIENA. DI CARNE. E DI. MEZZANA. STATVRA. DATA. A TVTTI. OPERE. CIRCA; ALLA. BELIZZA. ET. E SOTTO POSTO. ALLEI. LOTTONE E. IL. SVO. GIORNO. EVENERDI. E LA. PRIMA. HOR A. 8. 15. ET 22. E. LA. NOTTE. SVA. E MARTE. DI. E IL. SVOAMICO. E GIOVE. EL NIMICO. MERCVRIO. ET. HA. DVE HABITATIONS. EL. TORO. DI. GIORNO. E LIBRA. DI. NOTTE. E PERCONSIGLIERE. EL. SOLE. E LAVITE. SVA. EX ALTATIONE. EIL PESCE. ELA MORTE EDVMILIAZIONE. E VIRGO. E. VA. IN IOMESI. IZSENGI. INCOMIN CANDO. DA. LIBERA. E IN 25. GIORNO. VA VNO. SENGNO. E IN. VN GIORNO. VA VNO GRADO. EIZ. MINVTI. E. IN VNA ORA. 30 MINVTI.

I thought two specimens sufficient to be engraved, in order to show the style in which these curious plates were executed. However, I doubt not but that a short description of the rest, will be also very acceptable to many of my readers.

GIOVA, Jupiter. He is seated in his chariot in the clouds, with a crown upon his head, and a dart in his left hand; before him is represented Ganymede kneeling, with a small vase in one hand, and a cup in the other. The chariot is drawn by two eagles, and on the wheels are the two signs Sagittarius and the Fishes, with the words SAGITARIO and PISCE. The distance is a mountainous country, with figures on horseback and on foot, hunting and hawking ; in the foreground towards the right we see an emperor upon his throne with figures doing him homage ; and to the left, three figures representing (as it is supposed) Boccaccio, Dante, and Petrarch seated in an alcove, &c. with the inscription underneath, beginning thus:
GIOVE. EPIANETA. MASCVLINO. POSTO. NEL SESTO. CIELO. CALDO. E HVMIDO. TEMPERATO. DI NATURA. DARIA. DOLCE. SANGVIGNO. SPERANTE. &c.

SOLE, the Sun. He is represented splendidly armed, with a crown upon his head, and seated in his chariot, drawn by four horses; upon the chariot wheel is the zodiacal sign of the Lion, inscribed beneath LEO. In the back-ground we see a castle upon an hill, and some figures shooting at a mark with cross-bows; near them are two men praying to a crucifix; others are diverting themselves with mock fights, and a laughable figure of a dwarf is standing by them with a sword under his arm; others again are throwing stones and wrestling, whilst in the front an emperor is seated, and three tumblers are depicted before him, exhibiting their feats of activity. The inscription begins in this manner:
SOLE. E. PIANETA. MASCVLINO. POSTO. NEL QVARTO. CIELO. CALDO. E. SECHO. INFOCATO. CHOLERICO. DI. COLORE. DORO. &c. 4 MARTE

MARTE, Mars. He is seated in his chariot, drawn by two horses, and represented completely armed, with wings upon his head, and a sword in his right hand; upon the wheels of the chariot are expressed the Ram and the Scorpion, two signs of the zodiac, and under them is written ARIETE and SCARPIONE. At a small distance is a castle, with figures fighting before it, and a man is represented ringing the alarm bell; in the fore-ground, a foraging party of soldiers are seen falling upon a company of herdsmen, and seizing their cattle, the inscription begins in the following manner:
MARTE. ESENGNO. MASCULINI. POSTO. NEL QUARTO. CEILO¥ MOLTO. CALDO. FOCOSO. ET HA QUESTE. PROPRIETE. DAMARE. MILIZIA. BATTAGLE. ET UCCISIONI. MALIGNO. DISCORDINATO, &c.

SATVRNO, Saturn. He is seated in his chariot, drawn by two dragons, in his right-hand he holds a scythe, and upon the wheels of the chariot are two signs, the Goat and the Water-Bearer, inscribed CAPRICORNO and AQUARIO ; the distant country is bounded with mountains, and with castles, and a figure is represented hanging upon a gallows holding a cross in his hands ; near to the spectator is seen a man ploughing with' two oxen, in a large space, overflowed with water, and other men are thrashing corn in the open field. Towards the left appears an hermitage surmounted with a cross, and the hermit is seated at the door, near which is a man cutting wood, and two other labourers with their tools; in the fore-ground, to the right, is a prison, and before it a man seated with his legs and arms in the stocks, and two grotesque figures are standing in the front; towards the left are men killing hogs, one of which is hanged upon a tree. The inscription at bottom begins as follow:
SATVRNO. E PIANETA. MASCVLINO. POSTO, NEL SETIMO. CIELO. FRIDDO. E SECHO. MA. ACCIDEITAL MENTE. HVMIDO, DI NATVRA. DI TERRA, &c.

MERCVRIO, Mercury. He is represented in his chariot, holding his caduceus and drawn by two birds like hawks; on the wheels of his chariot an? two zodiacal signs,, the Virgin and the Twins, inscribed VIRGO and GEMINI; we are here presented with the inside of a city ; in the back-ground is a view of a street, and in the front, towards the right, a large building, which the workmen are decorating with ornaments ; below appears the potter with a variety of small vessels, and in the front the sculptor carving a head in stone ; above him are two philosophers holding a celestial sphere, and near them a table covered with viands; in the buildings towards the left, we see a musician playing upon an organ ; it is singular enough that the bellows, by means of which the instrument is supplied with wind, resembles the common bellows which we have in our houses at this day; in a compartment below, are two figures at a table writing,, and a third is regulating a clock. The perspective, in which science the artist had here an opportunity of showing his abilities, is most dreadfully defective.
Image

The inscription at the bottom begins in this manner:
MERCURIC E PIANETA. MASEVLINO. POSTO NEL SECONDO. CIELO. ET SECHO. MA PERCHE. LA SUA. SICCITA. E MOLTO PASSIVA LVI. E FREDO. &c.

LVNA, the Moon. She is seated in her chariot, drawn by two females, holding a bow in her left-hand, and a dart in her right; upon the wheel of the chariot is the zodiacal sign of the Crab, with the Latin name CANCER, written underneath it. The distance represents a mountainous country, with a castle and a town, very rudely executed. Nearer to the eye is a fowler setting his nets, figures fishing in a boat,, and a man shooting at a flock of birds with a bow and arrow; near him, some people are seated at a table playing at dice; in the fore-ground, towards the left, is a water-mill, part of the wheel of which appears, and a bridge over the river upon which we see a man on horseback, and an ass fallen down under his load; beneath the bridge are naked figures in the water fishing with a net.
Image

The inscription at the bottom of the plate begins as follows:
LA LANA. E PIANETA. FEMININO. POSTO. NEL PRIMO. CIELO. FREDA. E. VMIDA. FLEMATICHA. MEZANA TRA EL MONDO. SVPERIORE ET LO. INFERIORE. AMA. LA GEOMETRIA, &c.

These curious and valuable specimens of ancient engravings are in the collection of Dr. Monro, with whose permission I copied the two above described.
End quote:

Text and image of Labours of the Month and Children of the Planet Venus from A biographical dictionary of engravers by Joseph Strutt.
Last edited by SteveM on 08 Aug 2010, 19:55, edited 1 time in total.

Re: The Children of the Planets

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Thanks Steve. Very nice.

I'd like to find the Baldini/Finiguerra for Luna, which contains a juggler image described thusly:

"Near these, eight persons at a table are looking at a juggler, in a fool's dress, with an ape at his feet."

- in William Young Ottley (the same who wrote the second great history of playing cards in English, after Singer), Notices of Engravers, and Their Works.

The link to Google Books is abominable, so type the phrase "Venere esegno feminino" in Google and you'll get it; go down to his description of Luna.

Mike apparently has access to the images, judging by the post here:
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=463&start=90#p6571
Image

Re: The Children of the Planets

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quote:
Mr. Ottley next notices two other prints of the planets belonging to a set of larger dimensions, " somewhat still more ancient," one in the collection of Mr. Lloyd, the other in that of Mr. Douce, in which the general subjects represented are much the same as in the corresponding pieces of his first described set, but the arrangement of the groups is varied; and he observes, in a note to this passage, that the subjects introduced in theplanets engraved in the 15th and 16th centuries in Italy and Germany, were conventional; and that, though varied in the arrangement of the compositions, the general occupations of the chief groups were strictly adhered to.

Mr. Ottley describes minutely the two planets Mars* and Luna, of this larger set, and gives a copy of the chariot of Luna—see pages 368 to 371. He infers their greater antiquity from the ruder orthography of the inscriptions, and the almost invariable occurrence of the letter S in a reversed direction ; an error to which an engraver chiefly accustomed in the early part of his life, to engrave inscriptions on plate, would for a long time be liable. Mr. Ottley thinks they bear a strong resemblance in manner to the prints in the Monte Santo diDio; but to these, from the less frequent occurrence of the letter S reversed in the latter, they would of course be prior.

The set of Planets about to be described, is that to which the two prints just mentioned belong, and which are questionless more ancient than those in the British Museum. They are all first impressions, though printed when the plates had been much used, and are in perfect preservation. As two only were known to the author of the valuable " Enquiry," and no one of the set has been described by any other writer,f their peculiarities are here detailed, with their differences from those in the British Museum, which have so deeply engaged the interest and attention of Strutt, Jansen, and Ottley...

... 50. LUNA.
She is seated in her chariot, drawn by two females, holding a bow in her left hand, and an arrow in her right: upon the wheel of the chariot is the sign of the Crab. The distance represents a mountainous country, with a castle and a town. To the right, on the bank of a river, are fowlers setting their nets, three of whom are concealed in an arbour. Two figures are fishing from a boat, while others are swimming near, and there are two men with bows, one of whom is shooting. Near these, eight persons at a table are looking at the feats of a juggler in a fool's dress, with an ape at his feet. In the foreground to the right, is a water mill, part of the wheel of which appears: There is a bridge over the river, with a sun dial in the centre. Upon the bridge are a man on horseback, and an ass fallen under his load, while two men are striving to raise him. Below the bridge, naked figures are in the water, fishing with nets; and from a pier of the bridge one is angling with a line. Quite in the corner, to the right, the miller is tying a sack; and near him is a naked man plunging into the river. On the opposite bank, an old man, richly dressed, is holding a fish. The inscription begins :—
LA LVNA E PIANETA FEMININO POSTO NE PRIMO CIELO FREDA HE VMIDA ET FLEMAT1CHA 1UEZANA TRALMONDO SYPERIORE ET LO INFERIORS AM A LA GEOMETRIA, SIC.

Differences in the print of this planet in the British Museum:— Underneath the sign of the zodiac, is written its name " CANCES." Instead of two men with bows, only one appears; and one person only in the arbour instead of three. There are only six spectators round the juggler, and but one man to raise the fallen ass. On the shore is a person with a cap fishing. There are but two men with nets, and the sun dial and the figure holding the fish are wanting.
end quote

Ross G. R. Caldwell wrote: Mike apparently has access to the images, judging by the post here:
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=463&start=90#p6571
I have Ottley and Strutt and a half dozen others downloaded as pdf files from either google books or scribed.

The top of Luna is reproduced in Ottley's 'Inquiry' on p.371

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=MaZA ... ts&f=false

However that doesn't seem to be the source of Mike's (MIke's shows more of the image) - hopefully if he has any copies of the planets he will share them with us:)
Last edited by SteveM on 08 Aug 2010, 11:36, edited 2 times in total.

Re: The Children of the Planets

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Edited post on Finiguerra / Baldini Children of the the Planets above to include full image of Luna. (The Venus image is cut off on the right-hand side, though the link is to full image - how can I show the full image? Do I need to resize it?)

And here is a detail from a tapestry of The Moon and Her Children from a set of the Planets based on a design based on a woodcut by Barthel Beham (1502–1540):

Image


The complete image is online here:
http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/c ... &hi=0&ov=0

(Thanks to MJH for the reference and links - posted on his site at http://pre-gebelin.blogspot.com/2010/07 ... ntext.html )

Children of the Moon, Wilhelm von Rang manuscript (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Cod. lat. 4394), 1477:

Image


A Children of Luna, Berlin:
Image
Last edited by SteveM on 09 Aug 2010, 13:23, edited 2 times in total.

Re: The Children of the Planets

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Images from the Estense De Sphaera manuscript attributed to Cristoforo De Predis are currently available here:
http://bibliotecaestense.beniculturali. ... .2.14.html

I have found a partial transcription and translation of the planet verses in History of Italian Philosophy, Volume 1, by Eugenio Garin (p. 322)
http://books.google.it/books?id=sVP3vBmDktQC

I provide here a complete transcription and translation based on Garin's:


Saturno huomini tardi et rei produce
Rubbaduri et buxiardi et assasini
Villani et vili et senza alchuna luce
Pastori et zoppi et simili meschini.

Benigno e Jove e de virtu pianeta
Produce mathematici e doctori
Theologi et gran savij ne divieta
Alchuna gentil cosa o grandi honori.

Il bellicoso Marte sempre infiama
Li animi alteri al guerreggiare et sforza
Hor questo hor quello ne satia sua brama
In l'acquistar ma piu sempre rinforza.

Il Sole ad honor l'uhomo et gloria sprona
Et d'ogni leggiadria si dilecta
Di sapienza porta la corona
et di religion produce secta.

La gratiosa Vener dil suo ardore
Accende i cuor gentili onde in cantare
Et danze et vaghe feste per amore
L'induce col suave vagheggiare.

Mercurio di ragion lucida stella
Produce d'eloquenza gran fontana
Subtili ingiegni et chiaschun'arte bella
Et e nemico d'ogni cosa vana.

La Luna al navigar molto conforta
Et in peschare et ucellare et caccia
A tuti i suoi figliuoli apre la porta
Et anche al sollazzare che ad altri piaccia.



Saturn produces men rude and cruel,
Thieves, liars, and assassins,
vile and villain people, without light,
shepherds, lames and other miserable beings.

Jove is benign and is the planet of virtue;
He produces mathematicians and physicians,
Theologians and great sages, he favours
All gentle things and great honours.

Mars, the bellicose, always inflames
Courageous spirits to war and forces
Now this now that; never satisfies the greed
for dominion, but increases it continuously.

The Sun incites man to honour and glory;
He delights in loveliness,
And of wisdom wears the crown
And of religion produces sects.

Gracious Venus of her ardour
Warms up the gentle hearts and induces them
To sing and enjoy the feasts of love
With her pleasant desires.

Mercury is the splendid star of reason,
He produces great fountain of eloquence,
Subtle minds and all beautiful arts,
He is the enemy of all vanity.

The Moon is comfort to the mariner,
She also favours all her children
In fishing, fowling, and hunting,
as well as in entertaining other people.

Re: The Children of the Planets

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Ross G. R. Caldwell wrote: 08 Aug 2010, 11:08 Thanks Steve. Very nice.

I'd like to find the Baldini/Finiguerra for Luna, which contains a juggler image described thusly:

"Near these, eight persons at a table are looking at a juggler, in a fool's dress, with an ape at his feet."
I know this is old, but in case you did not come across it, there is a [zoomable] print at the BM:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collectio ... 5-0825-476
cron