"[Frontispiece - Aetas Aurea Illustrissimae et Excellentissimae Familiae Sternbergicae in Octavo Saeculum]",

This superb double-elephant folio frontispiece appeared in Martin Ulmann's Aeatas Aurea Illustrissimae et Excellentissimae Familiae Sternbergicae in Octavo Saeculum. The book focuses on the history and lineage of the aristocratic Sternberg family of Bohemia. The frontispiece is filled with mythological figures, soldiers, and royalty. At bottom, a queen and several soldiers (including two carrying large grees) stand atop a map of Bohemia. Behind them, a winding stairway leads to a mountaintop, with a pathway of stars leading from the peak of the mountain to the clouds above. Centered in the clouds is Helios driving a horse-drawn chariot, with other gods driving chariots pulled by other animals, including storks, lions, and cheetahs. A fascinating allegorical piece. Drawn by J. Jacobus Thummer and engraved by Jacobus Muller.

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Condition: A

issued folding, now flattened on a sturdy sheet with light, marginal soiling.