Collated O.K. m.c. August 10, 1950

An elaborate architectural title page engraving. At the top, winged infants (putti) support a decorative frame (cartouche) containing the coat of arms of Pope Clement VIII, which features a diagonal band with battlements and six stars, topped by the three-tiered papal tiara and the crossed keys of Saint Peter. The central title is flanked by classical figures standing on pedestals. On the left are the Macedonian King Alexander the Great and his tutor, the philosopher Aristotle; on the right are the Roman Emperor Vespasian and the naturalist Pliny the Elder. A narrative scene at the bottom center depicts the author, Ulisse Aldrovandi, kneeling and presenting a book to the seated Pope Clement VIII, with the cityscape of Bologna visible in the background.

ULISSE ALDROVANDI

PHILOSOPHER AND PHYSICIAN

OF BOLOGNA.

Professor of Natural History at the University of Bologna,

ORNITHOLOGY

THAT IS,

THE HISTORY OF BIRDS

IN TWELVE BOOKS.

TO CLEMENT VIII,

SUPREME PONTIFF. original: "PONT. OPT. MAX." — a title for the Pope meaning "Best and Greatest Pontiff."

Volume I

(1599)

BOLOGNA