1580's Tolomeo Astrology framed book page?

[argon38]

Would it not have been a good idea for the moderators to have merged these two threads, to avoid the risk of confusion?

[eaux-de-vie]

I am not any sort of expert, but that print looks WAY too modern to me to have been from the 1580's. The ORIGINAL book might be from that era, but the font looks modern. There are probably ways to look up font types.

[eaux-de-vie]

It looks to be in French. If you can get someone who reads it well to translate it for you that might help. They might also be able to help you date it because all languages evolve and if they are having difficulty reading it that might mean it is older.

[michael_r_weinstein_bookseller]

It is very likely original, pages from books aren't that rare. The coloring may be suspect but its hard to say without better pictures. In general early coloring is done with pigments that have a very 'pastey' look to them where later coloring tends towards more translucent. Given the colors aren't very pastel it does imply an earlier coloring, but again pictures are too blurry to be conclusive.

A single leaf is rarely of great value unless its from a very major book (Gutenberg Bible, Newton, Principia, etc...)

Its worth what ever you can get for it, but I doubt anyone could give you a real value.

[bibliomonster]

What you have is likely a leaf from Andre Thevet's 'Les vrais pourtraits et vies des hommes illustres grecz, latins et payens, recueilliz de leur tableaux' (1584). The color appears recent (last century). If you hold the leaf to the light, you should be able to determine the paper quality and narrow the possibility of it being a later copy.

http://books.google.com/books?id=HjVOAAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=on...

[bibliomonster]

The image is obviously that of Ptolemy, the Greco-Roman polymath.

[thelmasstuff]

I notice all your photos have this yellowish tint which obscures the image.  Try taking photos in different light until you get one that is close to the original.  As has been noted, you also need to resize so they are no more than 800 pixels per side so they are easier to download.

[deepseashadow]

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@afantiques wrote:

The pictures uniquely combine vast file size with  lack of focus, making them pretty useless, but one page from a late 16th C book is of no significant value. It looks like someone broke up a French book in the 1970s and flogged off the pages one at a time, a highly regrettable practice.

I'd no more attribute a value to it than I would attribute a value to a square inch of Maralyn Monroe's skin if some ghoul had stolen it and was selling it off piece by piece.

No doubt others would disagree.

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Looking for theI would disagree

[antiqueicandy]

Hi I will take better photos of the back as I pulled the frame off and there is writing on the reverse side. Would a Jean merymon be the author of the book? Also is there anyway to know the size of the original book as this measures 15 1/2 inches long by 12" wide. I see his is famous for his time so it may have some sort of value to an astrology collector although I am not certain if it is rare or there are many around. I will try to take better photos now. Thank you for all the help Kristina

[michael_r_weinstein_bookseller]

This says 49cm

http://www.worldcat.org/title/vrais-povrtraits-et-vies-des-hommes-illvstres-grecz-latins-et-payens-r...

[the*bumping*squirrel]

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@antiqueicandy wrote:

it may have some sort of value to an astrology collector

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Ptolemy for the astrology collector.  Yes... lovely idea.  When did all the schools close up?

.

[tandkpaxton]

Apparently, they do sell framed prints taken from antique books. The link is to a print like yours, untinted. Your's would have to be removed from the frame to determine if the paper and coloring are authentic.

http://www.grosvenorprints.com/stock_detail.php?ref=7768

[michael_r_weinstein_bookseller]

And for the record it is 'rare' in that you will never likely see another single leaf of exactly that page ever again, but that in no way makes it of exceptional value. None the less it is a leaf from a fairly rare book, but not one with the type of importance to give a leaf importance.

And for the record http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolomy

So the nutty squirrel will have less reason to think you are the nutty one...

[the*bumping*squirrel]

[antiqueicandy]

Ok so I think I got it. The page is rare and may be original although painted much later BUT has little to no value because of the subject matter and lack of importance.  I may list it or just keep it for a conversation piece in my office. I have so much to still go through so I do appreciate all the help:)

[michael_r_weinstein_bookseller]

Well its worth something as it is decorative and old, but just not any exceptional value.

If you sell on average $500 items you will likely be disappointed but if you sell on average $50 items then its worth your time.