The Dragon of Bologna
Hic Dracunculus...
Amsterdam, Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge, 1682. Coloured. 85 x 180mm, set in text.
£450.00
Description
A two-legged, wingless green dragon which, according to folklore, attacked Bologna in 1572, just as Grgory XII had taken the Papacy. The famed naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi examined the carcass and declared it a good omen for Gregory. Doubtless it was only coincidence that Gregory's family crest featured a dragon.
This image was based on Aldrovandi's book of dragons, 'Serpentum, et draconum ' and published in Kircher's masterpiece, the 'Mundus Subterraneus' (Subterranean World).
Condition:
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