A Compendium of Ancient Geography, Astronomy, and Medicine

Front Cover

Hic Codex Avienii is an incunable published in Venice by Antonius de Strata of Cremona on October 25, 1488 (November 8, 1488 on Julian Calendar). This collection contains works by Avienus, including his adaptation of Aratus’s Phaenomena, alongside contributions from Germanicus Caesar, Cicero, and Serenus Sammonicus. This volume contains 122 unnumbered leaves, embellished with 38 woodcuts, some of which are reused from earlier works. The text, set in a chancery quarto format, features 38 lines per page. This volume is a part of the University of Pennsylvania’s Kislak Center for Special Collections, offering a window into Renaissance intellectual culture and early printing techniques.

Background

Historical Context

This book was published in Venice in 1488 during a period characterized by political and territorial expansion for the Republic of Venice. By the late 15th century, Venice had established itself as a major maritime power with vast territories on both the Italian mainland and across the eastern Mediterranean. Under the rule of Doge Giovanni Mocenigo, Venice was consolidating its control of the Terraferma. This consolidation was driven by the necessity to secure trade routes and counteract the territorial ambitions of regional powers like Milan and the Ottoman Empire.

During this time, Venice was a bustling hub of commerce, renowned not only for its strategic trade advantages but also for its production of luxury goods, including textiles like silk and other high quality fabrics. This period marked the emergence of Venice as a leading center for printing and intellectual activity. Intellectual life was flourishing in throughout the city. Venice soon came to dominate not only the Italian printing industry, but the entire European printing Industry for a period.

The flourishing of Venetian printing helped disseminate Renaissance humanism and facilitated the exchange of knowledge across Europe, reflecting the city’s role in the cultural and intellectual current of the period. These books were not only texts but symbols of Venetian sophistication and the cosmopolitan nature of its society.

Incunables in the 15th Century

The 15th century was a transformative era for book production marked by the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1450. This invention introduced the era of incunables, which represent a pivotal moment in the transition from manuscript to printed book. The expansion of printing technology facilitated by the mass production of books, significantly reducing their cost and increasing their accessibility.

Venice emerged as a center for printing due to its strategic location and robust trade networks, which enabled the efficient distribution of books throughout Europe and the Mediterranean. Books printed in Venice were used as exemplars by other European printers. The city attracted pioneering printers like Johannes de Spira and Nicolas Jenson, whose work in the 1460s helped establish the high standards for book design, especially those of Roman and Italic typefaces. While most illuminations would be ordered by the customers, Jenson’s firm actually ordered the illuminations himself before the book even reached the customer. For this reason, incunables often contained texts that reflected a variety of Renaissance interests in classical antiquity, religious matters, scientific explorations, and humanistic studies that catered to an increasingly diverse audience beyond just scholars.