• Mukade-zōgan tsuba with two types of wires. Iron, inlaid with brass and iron wire fastened to the surface with metal staples (mukade-zōgan); Brass inlay around the rim. Design is thought to resemble a centipede. "Centipede-like inlay (mukade zogan) of alternating iron and brass staples produce an appearance that was particularly favored by Takeda Shingen (1521-1573), one of the most powerful warlords of his time. The centipede is sacred to Bishamon (God of War) and especially propitious for a warrior. Shingen type, 16th century.” [The Peabody Museum collection of Japanese sword guards with selected pieces of sword furniture, by John D. Hamilton. Photographs by Mark Sexton. Salem, MA, 1975.] Height: 85.8 mm; Width 86.2 mm; Thickness at seppa-dai: 4.3 mm. Weight 177.6 g. Early Edo, 17th century. http://varshavskycollection.com/shingen-tsuba/
  • Title: Emblemata | Florentii Schoon~ | hovii I. C. Goudani, | Partim moralia | partim etiam Civilia. | Cum latiori eorundem ejusdem | Auctoris interpretatione. | Accedunt et alia quædam | Poëmatia in alijs Poëma | tum suorum libris non | contenta. | Amstelodami. | Apud | Joannem Janßonium •1635• Size: 20 x15.5 cm, small 4to Edition: 3rd edition (the first two editions being by Burier, Gouda, 1618 and by Elzevir, Leiden, 1626. Collation: ¶/*6, A-Z4, Aa-Ff4, Gg2. Pagination: [2] - enrgaved t.p. / blank, [6] - dedication, [2] - lectori benevolo, [2] - in commend. / frontis. engraved portrait of  Gerardus Traudenius – academic/intellectual; author/poet (Dutch, fl. 1615 – 1623), 1-235. Illustrated with engraved title, portrait of dedicatee, and 74 engraved emblems by Crispijn van de Passe the Younger (1594/5 – 1670). Binding: bound in full contemporary Dutch blind-stamped parchment over thin boards, laced case construction, inked title to spine, no flyleaves, signature washed from the title, the blank margin of title trimmed away at head, slight marginal water stain to the first signature, front bottom board corner bumped.  
  • Iron tsuba of almost round form with a brass outlined circular opening (sukashi) in the bottom adorned with the Myriad Treasures [takaramono, 宝物] and winter motifs inlaid in cast brass (suemon-zōgan); hitsu-ana possibly cut later, both plugged with shakudo, nakaga-ana fitted with copper sekigane. According to Merrily Baird*) (2001), the symbolism of Myriad Treasures “is associated with the Seven Gods of Good Luck, who carry them in a sack”. Among the treasures, which are said to ensure prosperity, long life, and general good fortunes, are (reading clockwise from the top):
    1. Sake set [shuki, 酒器], namely flask, ladle, and cups
    2. Cloves [choji, 丁子]
    3. Purse of inexhaustible reaches [kinchaku, 巾着]
    4. Magic mallet [kozuchi, 小槌]
    5. Key to the storehouse of the Gods [kagi, 鍵]
    Then, Pine, Moon, and Bamboo (see below);
    1. Rhombus, or Lozenge (hosho, 方勝), with the second ideograph meaning victory.
    2. Sacred (or wish-granting) gem, or jewel [hōju, 宝珠]
    3. Hats of invisibility [kakuregasa, 隠れ笠]
    The Myriad Treasures is carried by the Seven Gods of Good Luck (a.k.a. the Seven Lucky Gods or Seven Gods of Fortune [shichifukujin, 七福神], who are transported by the Treasure Ship [takarabune, 宝船] during the first three days of the New Year. Pine, Moon, and Bamboo: bamboo [take, 竹] and pinecones [matsukasa, 松笠], or pine [matsu, 松] – two of the Three Friends of Winter [shōchikubai, 松竹梅] – symbolize fidelity, fortitude, steadfastness, perseverance, and resilience. The third ‘friend’  – plum, [ume, 梅] – in this case replaced by the Moon [tsuki, 月] – large (11 mm) circular opening at 6 o’clock; the three small carved dots represent the dewdrops. The other side is decorated with an arabesque (karakusa) of cloves and vines, with carved dots (dewdrops) along the rim. The overall New Year / Winter connotation of the tsuba is clear. The prominence of the Moon conveys purity, coldness (sadness/loneliness), and slenderness – the inherent qualities of a samurai. H: 93 mm x W: 90 mm, thickness 4.2 mm at the centre, slightly tapered towards the rim. *) Merrily Baird. Symbols of Japan: Thematic motifs in art and design. — NY: Rizzoli international publications, 2001. Seller’s description: École Heianjo - Début Époque EDO (1603 - 1868). Nagamaru gata en fer à décor incrusté en hira-zogan de laiton de tama, choji, jarre à saké et des attributs de Daikoku (maillet, chapeau d'invisibilité et sac de richesse) et de branches de choji de l'autre côté et ajourée en kage-sukashi d'un cercle. H. 9,2 cm
  • Iron tsuba of round form with slanting rays of light (shakoh) Christian motif (Jesuit's IHS symbol) in openwork (sukashi). Traditional description of this kind of design is called "tokei", or "clock gear". Edo period.

    Size: 77.7 x 76.1 x 6.7 mm.

    For information regarding shakoh tsuba see article 'Kirishitan Ikenie Tsuba" by Fred Geyer at Kokusai Tosogu Kai; The 2nd International Convention & Exhibition, October 18-23, 2006, pp. 84-91.  
  • Engraved title page:
    • In an oval cartouche at the centre, flanked by female personifications of Painting and Poetry, surmounted by an eagle, Mars and Envy chained by Cupid below: HET GULDEN CABINET | VANDE EDEL VRY SCHILDER, CONST | INHOUDENDE | DEN LOF VANDE VERMARSTE | SCHILDERS, | ARCHITECTE, BELDTHOWERS | ENDE PLAETSNYDERS | VAN DESE EEVW | DOOR | CORN: DE BIE NOTS. | TOT | LIER | 1661. ||
    • In lower margin below the image frame: t’Antwerpen gedruckt by Ian Meyssens Constvercooper op de Eyermert inden goude Rexdalder | Abrah. a Diepenbeck delin. — Cornelis Meyssens sculpsit. || Handwritten inscription below: Frederik Verachter
    Letterpress title: HET GULDEN CABINET | VANDE EDEL VRY | SCHILDER – CONST | ontsloten door den lanck ghevvenschten | Vrede tusschen de tvee mach- | tighe Croonen van SPAIGNIEN | EN | VRANCRYCK, | Waer-inne begrepen is den ontstersse- | lijcken loss vande vermaerste | Constminnende Geesten | ENDE | SCHILDERS | Van dese Eeuvv, hier inne meest near het | leven as-gebeldt , verciert met veel ver- | makelijcke Rijmen ende Spreucken. | DOOR | Cornelis de Bie Notaris binnen Lyer. || Pagination: 2 binder’s blank leaves, engraved t.p.,[1, 2] letterpress t.p., 3-585 [586] – approbatie, [2] – colophon / blank, 1 binder’s blank leaf. Collation: Engr. t.p., A-Aaaa4 Bbbb2, plates within a collation.

    Cornelis de Bie. Het Gulden Cabinet. — Antwerp: [J. van Montfort for] Jan Meyssens, 1661 [colophon: 1662]. First edition, quarto, with engraved title, added portrait of De Bie dated 1708 mounted and inserted*, illustrated with 97 full-page engravings of artists, and an engraving of a personification of the city of Rome repeated five times; bound in full contemporary Dutch parchment over boards, tooled in blind, titled on spine; ex libris Frederik Verachter (Dutch, 1797 – 1870), archivist of the Antwerp city library, with pages of notes in his hand, signature to title, and inserted leaf with extra biographical information about one of the 280 artists of the Low Countries profiled and illustrated in this volume; contents good; ex libris Gustave Van Havre (Dutch, 1817 – 1892), with his armorial bookplate inside the front board, 24 x 19.5 x 4.5 cm.

    Catalogue raisonné: J. F. Van Someren (1888) pp. 200-202. * CORNELIUS DE BIE. ÆT. 81. 1708. | Dat Ick op D'aard Niet Anders Ben | Als Stof En Assen Ick Beken: | En Alle Mijnen Arrebeijd | Noch Van Veel Minder Weerdigheijt. || J. C. de Cock delin: — H. F. diamaer Sculpsit Antv: Ref.: Royal Collection Trust. Backer, Jacob de (Flemish, c. 1555 – c. 1585) (artist) Balen, Jan van (Flemish, 1611 – 1654) (artist) Bally, David (Dutch, 1584 – 1657) (artist) Beck, David [Beek] (Dutch, 1621 – 1656) (artist) Bie, Cornelis de (Flemish, 1627 – 1711) (author) Bloemaert, Abraham (Dutch, 1565 – 1658) (artist) Borcht I, Hendrik van der, the Elder (Flemish, 1583 – 1651) (artist) Borcht II, Hendrik van der, the Younger (German 1614 –  1676)  (artist) Bouttats, Frederik, the Elder (Flemish, 1590 – 1661) (attributed to) (engraver) Bramer, Leonard [Leendert] (Dutch, 1596 – 1674) (artist) Bronckhorst, Jan Gerritsz van (Dutch, 1603-1661) (artist) Bylert, Jan van (Dutch, 1603 – 1671) (artist) Caukercken, Cornelis van (Flemish, 1626 – 1680) (engraver) Collin, Richard (Luxembourgish, 1627 – 1698) (engraver) Coques, Gonzales (Flemish, 1614 – 1684) (artist) Cossiers, Joannes (Flemish, 1600 – 1671) (artist) Danckerts de Rij, Peter (Dutch, 1605-1660) (artist) Dipenbeeck, Abraham van (Dutch, 1596 – 1675) (artist) Does, Antony van der (Flemish, 1609 –1680) (engraver) Dyck, Anthony van (Flemish, 1599 – 1641) (artist) François, Pierre (fl. 1643) (artist) Hecke, Jan van den, the Elder (Flemish, 1620 – 1684) (engraver) Heil, Daniel van (Flemish, 1604 – 1664) (artist) Heil, Jan Baptiste van (Flemish, 1609 – 1685) (artist) Heil, Leo van (Flemish, 1605 – c. 1664) (artist) Helt Stockade, Nicolaes van (Dutch, 1614 – 1669) (artist) Hollar, Wenceslaus [Hollar, Václav; Wenzel] ( Bohemian, 1607 – 1677) (artist) Hondius I, Hendrick [de Hondt] (Flemish-Dutch, 1573 – 1650) (artist) Janssens, Cornelis van Ceulen [Johnson, Cornelius] (Flemish-Dutch, 1593-1664) (artist) Jode I, Pieter de, the Elder (1570 – 1634) (engraver) Jordaens, Jacob (Flemish, 1593 – 1678) (artist) Lint, Peter van (Flemish, 1609 – 1690) (artist) Meyssens, Cornelis (Flemish, 1639 – fl.1673) (engraver) Meyssens, Joannes [Johannes, Jan, Jean] (Flemish, 1612 – 1670) Mola, Pier Francesco (Italian, 1612 – 1666) (artist) Monte, Deodat del [Mont, Deodat van der; Delmont, Deodatus] (Flemish, 1582 – 1644) (artist) Montfort, Jan van (fl. c. 1595 – 1644) (printer) Padoanino, Francisco (Italian, 1660) (artist) Poelenburgh, Cornelis van [Poelenburch] (Dutch, 1594 – 1667) (artist) Pontius, Paulus (Flemish, 1603 – 1658) (engraver) Quellinus, Erasmus, the Younger (Flemish, 1607 – 1678) (artist) Reni, Guido (Italian,  1575 – 1642) (artist) Sadeler II, Egidius (Flemish, c.1570 – 1629) (artist) Saftleven, Herman, the Younger (Dutch, 1609 – 1685) (artist) Seghers, Gerard (Flemish, 1591 - 1651) (artist) Snyers, Hendrik (Flemish, 1611 – 1644) (engraver) Soutman, Pieter Claesz (Dutch, 1593/1601 – 1657) (artist) Steen, Franciscus van der (Flemish, 1625 – 1672) (engraver) Teniers, David, the Younger (Flemish, 1610 – 1690) (artist) Venne, Adriaen van de [Adriaen Pietersz] (Dutch, 1589 – 1662) (artist) Voet, Alexander, the Elder (Flemish, 16-8/1613 – 1689) (engraver) Vorsterman, Lucas, the Elder (Flemish, 1595-1675) (engraver) Waumans, Conraed (Flemish, 1619 – 1675) (engraver) Willaerts, Adam (Dutch, 1577 – 1664) (artist)
  • Iron tsuba with design of bamboo and sparrow (take-ni-suzume) in openwork (sukashi). Rounded rim. Copper sekigane. Akasaka school. Unsigned. Attributed to second generation Tadamasa Shōzaemon (died in in the fifth year of Enppo, 1677). Early Edo period: 17th century (Kan-ei Kanbun era). Height: 79.0 mm. Width: 77.5 mm. Rim thickness: 5.5 mm. Center thickness: 6.6 mm. Provenance: Sasano Masayuki Collection, № 222: "It is believed that sparrows nest in a bamboo grove". According to Merrily Baird [Merrily Baird. Symbols of Japan. Thematic motifs in art and design. Rizzoli international publications, Inc., 2001], "a bamboo grove is said to be emblematic of security as the bamboo is resilient even in the face of high winds and heavy rains. [...]  The association of the sparrow (suzume) with bamboo is an old one found in Japanese poetry, paining, and design. The bird is said to be obsessed with its honor, especially the repaying of debts".  
  • Iron tsuba of round form pierced (sukashi) and inlaid in flat (hira-zōgan) and cast brass (suemon-zōgan), details carved in kebori, with design of two phoenixes, bamboo, and paulownia leaves and flowers (kiri-mon) on both sides. According to seller: Bizen-Yoshirō school (or Heianjō school). Unsigned.

    Momoyama period. End of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century. Dimensions: Diameter: 99.5 mm; Thickness: 2.1 mm at centre; 4.3 mm at the rim. According to Merrily Baird (Symbols of Japan), "bamboo teamed with paulownia blossoms or with paulownia and the phoenix, in reference to the Chinese legend that the phoenix perches only on the paulownia and eats only the bamboo". Citation from http://www.clevelandart.org/art/1986.2.1: "The immense heraldic birds on display [...] reflect the Momoyama era's spirit of newly gained self-confidence and an affinity for grand expressive statements in painting, architecture, the textile and ceramic arts, as well as garden design. While that period preceded the arrival of prosperity, it clearly marked an extraordinary moment in Japanese cultural history, one frequently compared with the twelfth century of the Heian period.  [...] Rather than an emblem of immortality, as it is in Western lore, in Japan, the phoenix evolved out of its origins in Chinese mythology to become, by the sixteenth century, an auspicious symbol of political authority. Together with clusters of the distinctively shaped paulownia leaves, this long-tailed, mythical bird  [...] proclaiming an air of graceful command".  
  • Etching on laid paper, backed. Massar (1971): 59-61. View of the Pont Neuf in Paris, with the statue of Henry IV at centre in front of the Seine, the church of St.-Germaine l'Auxerrois and the Louvre to the right, and the Hôtel de Nevers and Tour de Nesle to the left (MET). in the banner below: LUDOVICO XIIII GALLIARUM ET NAV REGI; below image: PONS LVTETIÆ STRVCTVS, DICTVS NOVVS, ET QVÆ EX EO PROSPICI POSSVNT.; bellow: En pulcherrimus toto ... caufatus, vifere; along the bottom: Ste. Della Bella Florentinus In. e Fecit DD. 1646. Cum Privilegio Regis; additional lettering a lower left and right identifying places depicted.

    State: 2nd, with the weathercock on the belltower of Église Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois (under 8). Size: 35.5 x 67.6 cm. Condition: Three vertical folds, these partly cracked and backed at the bottom, dusty or slightly stained, partly slightly rubbed, a small diagonal crease on the upper left, tiny marginal blemishes.

    Quotation from Phyllis D. Massar. Presenting Stefano della Bella. — NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, [1971]: "For size and complexity, one of Della Bella's most impressive achievements is his view of Paris across the Pont Neuf from a point between the buildings bounding the Place Dauphine. Besides the well-known landmarks-the Hộtel de Nevers, the Tour de Nesle, the church of Saint Germain l'Auxerrois, and, at the centre, the bronze equestrian statue of Henri IV by the Florentines Giovanni Bologna and Pietro Tacca – the print provides a microcosm of Paris in transit across the Seine. With a glass, one can compile a census of 451 people, thirty-eight horses, nineteen dogs, three donkeys, and one lamb. All but lost in the vast scene, nevertheless, all contributing to it, are duelists, men fighting with staffs, brawlers routing passers-by, a tooth-puller making an extraction, sellers of sweetmeats and fruits, falconers, hunters with a pack of dogs, a legless cripple, many begging gypsies (one of them telling a fortune), and a hurdy-gurdy player with an audience. Moving among the splendid carriages is a humble water cart, and back among the market stands at the right is an early Seine-side bookstall."

    Catalogue raisonné: Massar (1971): pp. 58-61; De Vesme p. 132, № 850ii/ii. Contributor: Stefano della Bella (Italian, 1610 – 1664) – artist and engraver.
  • Iron tsuba of round form with two ebi (lobster) on omote (obverse side) and shika (deer) among scattered momiji (maple leaves) on ura (reverse side) motif in brass takabori (high relief) suemon-zōgan. Traces of lacquer. Unsigned. Late Muromachi / Momoyama period (late 16th / Early 17th century). Dimensions: 69.0.6 mm (H) x 69.6 mm (W) x 3.4 mm (T, seppa-dai). Weight: 92.6 g. Illustrated at: The Lundgren Collection of Japanese Swords, Sword Fittings and A Group of Miochin School Metalwork. Christie's Auction: Tuesday, 18 November 1997, London. Sales "GOTO-5881". Christie's, 1997. - #2 at page 7. Provenance: The second John Harding; The Lundgren Collection. Description at Christie's: "The iron plate depicting two lobsters in takabory and brass takazogan, the reverse similarly decorated with deer among scattered maple leaves, square mimi, late Muromachi / early Momoyama period (late 16th/early 17th century) Diameter 68 mm, mimi thickness 4 mm. Provenance: The second John Harding." Also at: JAPANESE SWORD-FITTINGS & METALWORK IN THE LUNDGREN COLLECTION. Published by Otsuka Kogeisha, Tokyo 1992. № 134. Description on page 173: Sword guard with design of shrimps in inlay (scarlet [sic] maple leaves and deer on the reverse side). Unsigned. Heianjō inlay school. Vertical 6.85 cm, horizontal 6.90 cm, Th. of rim 0.40 cm. Iron. Taka-bori relief and brass inlay. Momoyama period, 16th - 17th century. According to Merrily Baird, maple leaves, especially if paired with the deer, allude to autumnal tradition of Japanese aristocracy of viewing the seasonal changes of color in the Nara area. The lobster is typical Japanese ebi, - it lacks prominent claws, and has a spiny shell. As a symbol of longevity and good fortune, lobster is a staple of New Year's decoration.
  • Title: THE | WORKS | OF THE FAMOUS | Nicholas Machiavel, | CITIZEN and SECRETARY | OF | FLORENCE. |—| WRITTEN | Originally in ITALIAN, and from thence newly | and faithfully Tranſlated into ENGLISH. |—|[ornament]|—| LONDON, | Printed for John Starkey, Charles Harper, and John | Amery, at the Miter, the Flower-de-Luce, and the | Peacock, in Fleetstreet. 1680. Content: (1) The history of Florence; (2) The Prince; (3) The Original of the Guelf and Ghibilin Factions; (4) The Life of Castruccio Castracani; (5) The Murther of Vitelli, etc. by Duke Valentino; (6) The State of France; (7) The State of Germany; (8) The Discourses on Titus Livius; (9) The Art of War; (10) The Marriage of Belphegor, a Novel; (11) Nicholas Machiavel's Letter in Vindication of Himself and His Writings. Pagination:  ffl, 24 unnumbered pages before the first numbered: [2] – tp / license], [2] – contents / blank], [2] ftp “Florence” / blank, [3] – epistle to Clement VII, [3] – introduction, [12] – table; Misnumbering (X instead of Y format – X/Y): History of Florence: 1- 28/24, 19/91, 198/98, 180/108, 190/109, 174/164, 175/ 165, 179/169, 180/170, 185/175, 186/176, 188/178, 189/179, [190/180 blank]; The Prince, Lucca, State of France: [4] 199-262; State of Germany: 256/263, 266/264, 267/265 [268/266]; Discourses: [4] 267-314, 317-431 [432]; Art of War: [4] 433-528; [4] – publisher, [12] –Machiavelli’s letter, bfl. Collation: π3 Aa3 b-d2 B-Z4 Aa-Bb2 Cc-Zz4 Aaa-Yyy4 (*)-(**)4 Binding: Original mottled leather boards with embossing, later leather spine with 5 raised bands, crimson label with gilt lettering. Size: 32.4 x 21.0 x 4.0 cm Provenance: Bradford H. Gray This is the second edition; despite misnumbering, the collation is correct and all pages present. The first edition of this book was published in 1675 by Robert Bolter (British, fl. 1666 – 1683).
  • Iron tsuba of round form with a dense combination of symbols: slanting rays of light (shakoh) Christian motif (Jesuit's IHS symbol), also often described as "tokei" or "clock gear", wild goose in flight, bracken, and lozenges in openwork (sukashi). Copper sekigane. Edo period.

    Size: 76.0 x 72.6 x 6.2 mm

    Unsigned.

    For information regarding shakoh tsuba see article 'Kirishitan Ikenie Tsuba by Fred Geyer at Kokusai Tosogu Kai; The 2nd International Convention & Exhibition, October 18-23, 2006, pp. 84-91.

     
  • THE | POETICAL | WORKS | OF | Mr. John Milton. | Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, | Sampson Agonistes, and his Poems | on several Occasions. | TOGETHER WITH | Explanatory NOTES on each Book of the | PARADISE LOST, and a TABLE | never before Printed. | LONDON: | Printed for Jacob Tonson, at Judges-Head near Inner-Temple-| Gate in Fleet – street , M DC XC V. || Pagination: [6] 1-343 [5] 1-66 [4] 1-57 [5] 1-60 [2] 321 [1], frontispiece and 12 plates, one before each book of Paradise Lost. Collation: 4to, folio; blank leaf, π3 B2, C-Z4, Aa-Yy4, A-H4 I2, [A]-D2 †D2 E-Q2 [A]1 B-Z2 Aa-Zz2 Aaa-Zzz2 Aaaa-Mmmm2 [N]1, 2 blank leaves, + frontis. portrait and 12 plates extraneous to collation. Plates: Portrait of John Milton (British, 1608 – 1674) engraved by Robert White (British, 1645 – 1703) after William Faithorne (British, 1616 – 1691) 11 plates engraved by Michael Burghers (Dutch, c. 1640 – c. 1723) after John Baptiste de Medina (Flemish, 1659 –1710); 1 plate (for Book IV) engraved by Peter-Paul Bouché (Dutch, 1646 – c. 1697) after Bernard Lens (British, 1659 – 1725). Binding: Folio, bound in full contemporary English panelled and speckled calf, tooled in blind, re-backed, corners repaired, the lines in Paradise Lost numbered; title pages of Paradise Regain'd and Samson Agonistes dated 1695; without a list of subscribers after the general title; with the Table for Paradise Lost; printed on laid paper, with tall "s", margins sprayed red. Provenance: near-contemporary ex libris of Sarah Bugg inside front board; along with that of Sam Bontham, 1726; later owned by forger Osborne Charles Vyse Aldis (1843 – 1916), with his signature on general title, with a nine-line note in his hand and initialled on page 343. Catalogue raisonné: Gordon N. Ray, Illustrated book in England (1976): p. 3. Ref: National Gallery of Art Contributors: Bouché, Peter-Paul (Dutch, 1646 – c. 1697) Burghers, Michael (Dutch, c. 1640 – c. 1723) Faithorne, William (British, 1616 – 1691) Lens, Bernard (British, 1659 – 1725) Medina, John Baptiste de (Flemish, 1659 – 1710) Milton, John (British, 1608 –  1674) Tonson, Jacob, the Elder (British, 1655 – 1736) White, Robert (British, 1645 – 1703)  
  • Iron tsuba of round form with design of wheel (kuruma) in openwork (sukashi). Squared rim. Copper sekigane. Yagyu school. Signed of the face: Fukui Tsuguzaemon. Early Edo period: Late 17th century (Kanbun/Enppo era). Height: 76.7 mm. Width: 76.8 mm. Rim thickness: 5.2 mm. Center thickness: 5.6 mm. Provenance: Sasano Masayuki Collection, № 203: "This design of spoke wheel relates to the 'circular principle' found in the Yagyu philosophy. Although it is very faint, Fukui Tsuguzaemon's signature is visible. Without a signature and based on appearance alone, it would undoubtable attributed to a later period".

    Merrily Baird in her book "Symbols of Japan" [Merrily Baird. Symbols of Japan. Thematic motifs in art and design. Rizzoli international publications, Inc., 2001] provides the following explanation of the Wheel-of-the-Law symbol: "The Wheel-of-the-Law or Golden Wheel (rimbo, kinrin) has its origins in India, where it is known as chakra. [...] In Buddhist practice, it has been represented with eight spokes, reflecting the eight-fold path to overcoming worldly desire, and it signifies that all illusions will be crushed by the faith's enlightenment. [...] The Wheel-of-the-Law is an attribute of such deities as Senju Kannon, the Thousand-Armed Kannon, and Dainichi Nyorai, the all-illuminating solar figure who is the principal deity for Shingon Buddhism. From the Edo period on, the wheel also has been used in a secular manner", e.g. on family crests.

  • A portrait of Marcello Malpighi from his book Opera posthuma: figuris aeneis illustrata, quibus praefixa est ejusdem vita a seipso scripta, Londini:Churchill, 1697. Inscription: Marcellus Malpighius | Medicus Bononiensis mortuus 29 Novemb. Anno Dom. 1694. Anno aetatis 67. I. Kip. sculp.

    Marcello Malpighi (10 March 1628 – 29 November 1694) was an Italian biologist and physician, who is referred to as the "Father of microscopical anatomy, histology, physiology and embryology" [Wikipedia].

    From European Journal of Anatomy 22(5):433-439 · September 2018, an article by Sanjib Ghosh and Ashutosh Kumar 'Marcello Malpighi (1628-1694): Pioneer of microscopic anatomy and exponent of the scientific revolution of the 17th Century': Italian anatomist and an eminent scientist who significantly contributed to the advancement of the anatomical sciences in the 17th century. Malpighi was one of the first to use the compound microscope (an instrument designed by Galileo in 1609) and made the most important discovery of his life in 1661 when he identified capillaries as connecting vessels between small arteries and veins in the lungs. Malpighi thus provided the missing link in William Harvey's theory of blood circulation. He made significant contributions in the field of embryology based on his observations on chick embryo, and his efforts provided deep insights into the development of the heart and the nervous system. His communications based on microscopic studies scripted valuable details on the structural organization of organs like the liver, kidney and spleen. He identified the hepatic lobule as the fundamental unit of the liver and noted that bile was being secreted by these lobules and not from the gall bladder (the popular belief then). In the kidney, he discovered the glomerulus (Malpighian Corpuscle) and was the first to observe the convoluted tubules in the renal cortex. He was the first to describe the presence of lymphatic bodies (Malpighi's Corpuscle) in the spleen. Although he was exceedingly successful in his scientific activities, his life was fraught with unfortunate events and savage criticism from detractors arising out of professional jealousy and personal feuds. Nevertheless, his exploits were instrumental in understanding the human microscopic anatomy (histology) and his accomplishments have etched his name in the pages of medical science forever.

    The portrait was engraved by Johannes "Jan" Kip (1652/53, Amsterdam – 1722, Westminster) - a Dutch draftsman, engraver and print dealer.

  • VALENCENA, QUONDAM | CYGNORUM VALLIS | URBS HAN: PERELEGÃS | ET VALDE MAGNIFICA. ||

    Engraved and hand-coloured map of Valenciennes first produced for Braun & Hogenberg's 6-volume Civitates orbis terrarum edition in 1570.

    English translation of the text printed on verso: "The Loire, an exceedingly well-known river in France, flows directly past the city and is very beneficial for trade. The fields surrounding the city are very fertile, and for this reason, the city is also called the granary throughout France, just as in earlier times Sicily was the granary of Rome. A famous wine also grows in this soil, which is exported from here not only throughout France but to all the countries in Europe. [...] The French spoken here is pure and uncorrupted, which is also the reason why so many foreigners settle here. For some are here for trade, others for study and others again to acquire the language, but also many without doubt for both these last two reasons, [...] and Germans, in particular, send their children here." [by Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc.]

    Dimensions: Sheet: 39.8 x 53.5 cm; Image: 35.2 x 38.5 cm.

    Probably published in Cologne is 1612-18 by Petrum à Brachel: [Coloniae Agrippinae: apud Petrum à Brachel, sumptibus auctorum, 1612-1618]. Ref: LOC.

    Georg Braun [Brunus; Bruin] (German, 1541 – 1622).

    Frans Hogenberg (Flemish-German, 1535 – 1590).

    Abraham Ortelius [Ortels; Orthellius; Wortels] (Dutch, 1527 – 1598).
  • Kozuka with seven insects (fly, grasshopper, bee, butterfly, dragonfly, firefly, and cricket) and grass with dewdrops motif. Shakudō, flush gold inlay (hira-zōgan). 95.2 (H) x 13.7 mm (W). Mid Edo period (Late 17th - early 18th century, Genroku era 1688-1703). Unsigned. Kaga school. A look-a-like kozuka (with five insects) is illustrated at Japanese Sword Fittings. A descriptive catalogue of the Collection of G.H. Naunton, Esq., completed and illustrated by Henri L. Joly, - 1912 on plate XXIX, №691 [LIB-1389 in this Collection] with the following description at page 54: "Shakudō, inlaid with butterfly, dragon-fly, grasshopper, locust and another insect, gold." See also tsuba TSU-0211 in this collection:    
  • Title: AN ESSAY | Towards a | REAL CHARACTER, | And a | PHILOSOPHICAL | LANGUAGE. | By John Wilkins D.D. Dean of Ripon, | And Fellow of the ROYAL SOCIETY. |—| [armorial device] |—| LONDON, | Printed for Sa: Gellibrand, and for | JOHN MARTYN Printer to the ROYAL | SOCIETY, 1668. Pagination: [2] blank/order, [2] t.p./blank, [16], 1-454; + 79 leaves of Dictionary, unpaginated (158 pages); Illustrations: folding plates before pp. 167, 187, and two folding plates before p. 443. Collation: π2 a-d2 B-Z4 Aa-Zz4 Aaa-Lll4 Mmm3 aaa4 Aaa-Sss4 ttt3 Size: 4to, 32 x 20 x 5 cm; Binding: Full speckled calf, later polished calf spine with raised bands, double fillet ruled gilt compartments, crimson label with gilt lettering, margins sprinkled red. The work of John Wilkins is dedicated to the problem of the universal language. Wilkins was the Dean of Ripon from 1663 to 1672 and one of the founders of the Royal Society.  
  • Large and thin iron tsuba of round form (width > height) decorated with the design of a tiger sheltering in bamboo in suemon-zōgan brass inlay. A fragment of tail inlay is missing. Bamboo leaves on the reverse. According to Merrily Baird [Symbols, p. 166], tiger sheltering in bamboo symbolizes "weak giving shelter to the strong". Momoyama period. Unsigned. Dimensions: 90.8 x 91.2 x 3.4 (center), 3.1 (rim) mm. Custom wooden box. NBTHK Certificate № 4001593.