Prodigiorum ac ostentorum chronicon — pp. 639–640

A rare original leaf with hand-coloured woodcuts on both sides from a Renaissance chronicle of prodigies and extraordinary natural phenomena.

One side shows a cat-like creature with a curled tail and three upright cats. The other shows a flock of dark birds over a settlement and a scene in the clouds.

The leaf comes from Conrad Lycosthenes’s Prodigiorum ac ostentorum chronicon, printed by Heinrich Petri in Basel in 1557. Lycosthenes drew on classical and medieval sources and accounts from his own time to assemble this illustrated chronicle of wonders.

The work reflects the Renaissance fascination with unusual births, celestial omens, strange creatures and other marvels. Its illustrations show how observations of the natural world were recorded and interpreted alongside beliefs about astrology and portents.

The sheet measures 26.5 × 19 cm. Condition is good.