Alchemical Hands in the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili

Why It Matters for the Hypnerotomachia

The 1499 HP is widely regarded as the most elaborately illustrated incunabulum ever produced. Its 172 woodcuts, historiated initials, and pseudo-hieroglyphic inscriptions represent the highest point of Aldine typographic ambition before Aldus shifted to smaller-format Greek texts.

Why It Matters in Scholarship

Russell's world census of annotated copies was conducted primarily through Incunabula Short Title Catalogue (ISTC) records. The HP's status as an incunabulum places it within the well-catalogued universe of fifteenth-century printed books, enabling systematic identification of surviving copies.

Key Passages / Evidence

• ... 10 September 2015, At: 23:59 Word & Image A Journal of Verbal/Visual Enquiry ISSN: 0266-6286 (Print) 1943-2178 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/twim20 “Though I could... [Word_Image_2015_apr_03_vol_31_iss_2_Farrington_Lynne_Though_I_could_lead_a_quiet]
• ... The Aldine roman type used for the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili was originally cut by Griffo, for Bembo’s De Aetna dialogues, printed in 1496. Aldus had Griffo recut it in 1499, with a larger and... [Word_Image_2015_apr_03_vol_31_iss_2_Farrington_Lynne_Though_I_could_lead_a_quiet]
• ... precursors, the commentaria of Cyriaco d'Ancona and the mid-century antiquarian sylloge. I believe that these topographically organized manu- scripts of ancient inscriptions, edifices and... [Word_Image_1998_jan_vol_14_iss_1_2_Griggs_Tamara_Promoting_the_past_The_Hypnerot]

Source Documents

Jarzombek 1990 (structural problematics); Lefaivre 1997 (Alberti attribution); O'Neill (Durham thesis); Russell 2014 (PhD thesis); Word_Image_1998_jan_vol_14_iss_1_2_Griggs_Tamara_Promoting_the_past_The_Hypnerot; Word_Image_2015_apr_03_vol_31_iss_2_Farrington_Lynne_Though_I_could_lead_a_quiet