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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: Skinny on May 15, 2015, 01:43:32 PM

Title: Strange symbol/emblem drawn inside sixteenth century book
Post by: Skinny on May 15, 2015, 01:43:32 PM

I recently purchased this old book printed in 1580. The endpapers seem to be made out of old binders waste of what looks like cut up pages of another book. Drawn on one of these is some kind of symbol I don't recognise. There are four words around it, and I can't quite make out what they say. I am intrigued, and wounder if anyone has any idea about it?

Title: Re: Strange symbol/emblem drawn inside sixteenth century book
Post by: Skinny on May 15, 2015, 01:53:34 PM

There are a couple of pieces of medieval vellum manuscript that were used as part of the binding. I just wanted to share a picture of one.

Title: Re: Strange symbol/emblem drawn inside sixteenth century book
Post by: mart on May 15, 2015, 02:44:59 PM

What is the title of the book ??  Can only see part of it on the opposite page from the symbol !!

Title: Re: Strange symbol/emblem drawn inside sixteenth century book
Post by: Skinny on May 15, 2015, 03:04:36 PM

The title of the book is "Ravisii Textoris". It is in Latin, and was printed in Paris.

Title: Re: Strange symbol/emblem drawn inside sixteenth century book
Post by: KC on May 16, 2015, 11:57:15 PM

Symbol similar to this?
http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/MLB-653978760-officina-ioan-ravisii-textoris-humanismo-veneza-1574-_JM (http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/MLB-653978760-officina-ioan-ravisii-textoris-humanismo-veneza-1574-_JM)

Need to see a better picture of the page straight on please.  Appears to be a phoenix from the bit I can make out.

Title: Re: Strange symbol/emblem drawn inside sixteenth century book
Post by: Skinny on May 17, 2015, 08:26:43 AM

Thanks KC, but the symbol i'm interested in is not the printers devise, it's on the opposite page. This is the best pic of it that I can get.

Title: Re: Strange symbol/emblem drawn inside sixteenth century book
Post by: mariok54 on May 17, 2015, 01:31:17 PM

I think that the four words are going to be the key... is it not possible to get a better photo of those, say in daylight?

Title: Re: Strange symbol/emblem drawn inside sixteenth century book
Post by: Skinny on May 17, 2015, 03:18:38 PM

Not enough pixels. The words are hard to make out, and I've tried every possibility of what they might be and none of them make any sense, in other words I got no hits on Google for them. This whole thing is probably just an enigma. The fictional Robert Langdon might know what this emblem is, but I don't.

Title: Re: Strange symbol/emblem drawn inside sixteenth century book
Post by: KC on May 17, 2015, 08:32:42 PM

If you take a better pic of the page we can possibly interpret the page and find it that way....