The Digital Walters

W.734, Hyginus, Astronomica

Abstract

This manuscript, W. 734, is a thirteenth-century copy of an astronomical treatise, Astronomica, attributed to the first century Roman scholar Gaius Julius Hyginus. There is some question as to whether or not the unpolished Latin prose of the Astronomica was in fact by the learned scholar Hyginus. Regardless, this text was in circulation in western Europe along with other astronomical and astrological works by the ninth century. Illustrated Carolingian versions of the texts often faithfully imitated classical models in both style and detail. No illustrated Carolingian examples of Hyginus still survive, however a manuscript of Hyginus from 988 by Ademar, a monk at Saint-Martial of Limoges, seems to be faithfully copied from a Carolingian model. The most distinctive feature of the iconography of W.734 is the miniature of the two stars of Cancer, the “Aselli,” drinking from a trough. This image type recalls a very small collection of ninth century manuscripts (cf. Madrid Bibl. Nacional, cod. 3307) dating between ca. 820-828, and W.734 is reminiscent of Carolingian style as well. The text of the Astronomica itself addresses various cosmographical topics including the Earth and the spheres, the mythological legends connected with the constellations, the planets, the arrangement of the stars in the constellations, the circles of the celestial sphere and the movements of the planets, the sun and the moon, and their appearance. This copy likely dates to ca. 1200, however pinpointing its place of creation has proven more complicated, with its parchment and script having been linked to Italy, while France or Spain have also been suggested as a place of origin.

Manuscript Description (in a new window) | TEI (XML format) | View at art.thewalters.org

Persistent URLs (PURLs)

The following URLs are assured to route to the named resources. For more information see the ReadMe file.

http://purl.thewalters.org/art/W.734/browse

http://purl.thewalters.org/art/W.734/data

Upper board outside
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Upper board inside
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Front flyleaf i, r
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Front flyleaf i, v
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fol. 1r
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fol. 1v
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fol. 2r
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fol. 2v
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fol. 3r
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fol. 3v
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fol. 4r
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fol. 4v
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fol. 5r
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fol. 5v
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fol. 6r
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fol. 6v
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fol. 7r
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fol. 7v
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fol. 8r
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fol. 8v
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fol. 9r
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fol. 9v
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fol. 10r
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fol. 10v
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fol. 11r
- W734_000025_1200.tif
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- W734_000025_sap.jpg
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fol. 11v
- W734_000026_1200.tif
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- W734_000026_sap.jpg
  Size: 673.7 kB (689,909 bytes)
- W734_000026_thumb.jpg
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fol. 12r
- W734_000027_1200.tif
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- W734_000027_sap.jpg
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fol. 12v
- W734_000028_1200.tif
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- W734_000028_300.tif
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fol. 13r
- W734_000029_1200.tif
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- W734_000029_sap.jpg
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fol. 13v
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fol. 14r
- W734_000031_1200.tif
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- W734_000031_sap.jpg
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fol. 14v
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- W734_000032_300.tif
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- W734_000032_sap.jpg
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fol. 15r
- W734_000033_600.tif
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- W734_000033_sap.jpg
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fol. 15v
- W734_000034_600.tif
  Size: 53.2 MB (55,800,821 bytes)
- W734_000034_300.tif
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- W734_000034_sap.jpg
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- W734_000034_thumb.jpg
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fol. 16r
- W734_000035_600.tif
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- W734_000035_sap.jpg
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fol. 16v
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fol. 17r
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- W734_000037_sap.jpg
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- W734_000037_thumb.jpg
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fol. 17v
- W734_000038_600.tif
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- W734_000038_sap.jpg
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fol. 18r
- W734_000039_600.tif
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- W734_000039_sap.jpg
  Size: 635.5 kB (650,741 bytes)
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fol. 18v
- W734_000040_600.tif
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fol. 19r
- W734_000041_600.tif
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fol. 19v
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fol. 20r
- W734_000043_1200.tif
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- W734_000043_thumb.jpg
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fol. 20v
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fol. 21r
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fol. 21v
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fol. 22r
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fol. 22v
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- W734_000048_sap.jpg
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- W734_000048_thumb.jpg
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Back flyleaf i, r
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- W734_000049_sap.jpg
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- W734_000049_thumb.jpg
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Back flyleaf i, v
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- W734_000050_300.tif
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- W734_000050_sap.jpg
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- W734_000050_thumb.jpg
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Lower board inside
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- W734_000051_300.tif
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- W734_000051_sap.jpg
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- W734_000051_thumb.jpg
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Lower board outside
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- W734_000052_300.tif
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- W734_000052_sap.jpg
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- W734_000052_thumb.jpg
  Size: 6.2 kB (6,389 bytes)
Spine
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  Size: 103.2 MB (108,226,443 bytes)
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- W734_000053_sap.jpg
  Size: 143.4 kB (146,812 bytes)
- W734_000053_thumb.jpg
  Size: 2.9 kB (2,985 bytes)
Fore-edge
- W734_000054_1200.tif
  Size: 111.4 MB (116,857,495 bytes)
- W734_000054_300.tif
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- W734_000054_sap.jpg
  Size: 190.4 kB (194,940 bytes)
- W734_000054_thumb.jpg
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Head
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  Size: 103.1 MB (108,060,219 bytes)
- W734_000055_300.tif
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- W734_000055_sap.jpg
  Size: 235.9 kB (241,551 bytes)
- W734_000055_thumb.jpg
  Size: 4.5 kB (4,601 bytes)
Tail
- W734_000056_1200.tif
  Size: 100.1 MB (104,986,207 bytes)
- W734_000056_300.tif
  Size: 2.4 MB (2,527,655 bytes)
- W734_000056_sap.jpg
  Size: 215.3 kB (220,461 bytes)
- W734_000056_thumb.jpg
  Size: 4.0 kB (4,136 bytes)

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