XO04 In octo libros Aristotelis De naturali auscultatione commentarij

Francesco Vimercato, In octo libros Aristotelis De naturali auscultatione commentarii (Venice: Apud Haeredem Hyeronimi Scoti, 1584)

Penn Libraries, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Folio GrC Ar466 Ef19 1584

The Venetian printer Girolamo Scoto and his heirs (responsible for this edition) used this vera effigies (real portrait) of Aristotle to decorate the title pages of many of their outputs. While some scholars have suggested that Aristotle’s features were modeled on Leonardo da Vinci’s (as if Leonardo were a new Aristotle), the reference was instead a common iconographic rendition of Aristotle, which was popular in the first half of the sixteenth century. This iconography had been associated with a medal and was used in a series of bronze plaquettes, still conserved in Italian museums and elsewhere. Aristotle’s hat and cape are likely inspired by those of Greek merchants.