The autograph of Nicolaus Copernicus' De revolutionibus is a manuscript of six books of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (1543) by Nicolaus Copernicus written between 1520 and 1541. Since 1956, it is kept in the Jagiellonian Library in Kraków (signature 10,000).
The autograph was handwritten by Nicolaus Copernicus in Latin and Greek, using humanistic cursive. The manuscript consists of 213 paper leaves sized , two endpapers, and four protective cards. The binding of the manuscript dates back to the early 17th century and is made of cardboard glued with waste paper and a parchment document from the 16th century.
The object was inscribed in 1999 on the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register. It is an autograph kept in the collections of the Jagiellonian Library of the Jagiellonian University, of which it has been the property since 1956.
The text of the autograph, which was first published in 1543 in Nuremberg in the first edition of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, revolutionized the perception of the universe from a historical point of view and was a starting point for modern astronomy and science.
Description The autograph contains the text of the six books authored by Nicolaus Copernicus that make up the work De revolutionibus.
Contents of the manuscript of De revolutionibus Source: NumberNumber of a bookLeaves included in a book1Book I1 – 262Book II26 verso – 70 verso3Book III71 – 1064Book IV106 verso – 141 verso5Book V142 – 188, 197 verso – 201 verso6Book VI188 verso – 197, 203 – 212 verso Leaf 1 contains the incipit: (I)nter multa ac varia litteraturum artiumaque studia, Leaf 1 verso: Capitulum primum. Quod mundus sit sphaericus. Principio advertendum nobisest globusm est mundum.
Leaf 212 verso contains the : remanebit praepollens latitudo quaesita.
Provenance notes
The endpaper of the front cover contains an ex libris with the coat of arms of the Nostitz family and the inscription:Ex Bibliotheca Maioratus Familiae Nostitzianae 1774Below the ex libris, there is a note written in ink over the previous one made in pencil, stating:Das Manuscript enthält: 212 Blätter, ausserdem 3 Vorblätter von denen das 1-e leer ist, das 2-e die Aufzählung der verschiedenen Eigenthümer und das 3-e Blatt den Namhen Otto F. v. Nostitz
The inserted leaf b contains a note attributed to Jakob Christmann:Venerabilis et eximii Iuris utriusque Doctoris, Dni Nicolai Copernick Canonici Varmiensis, in Borussia Germaniae mathematici celeberrimi opus de revolutionibus coelestibus propria manu exparatum et haectenus in bibliotheca Georgii Ioachimii Rhetici item Valentini Othonis conservatum, ad usum studii mathematici procurauit M. Iakobus Christmannus Decanus Facultatis artium, anno 1603, die 19 DecembrisThe reverse side of leaf b contains a note by John Amos Comenius:Hunc librum a vidua pie defuncti M. Jac. Cristmanni digno redemptum pretio, in suam transtulit Bibliothecam Johannes Amos Nivanus: Anno 1614. 17 Januarii. Heidelbergae.On leaf c, there is the signature Otto F. v. Nostitz mp.
Paper The manuscript consists of four types of paper with characteristic watermarks designated in the literature by letters: C, D, E, and F. These symbols were used in their descriptions by Ludwik Birkenmajer, followed by his son Aleksander Birkenmajer.
Types of paper used for the manuscript of De revolutionibus Source: NumberDesignationCharacteristicsExampleOrigin of paper1Paper Cwatermark – snake with a fleuronaround 1520–1525, presumably Netherlands2Paper Dwatermark – hand with fingers spread under the crownaround 1523–1530, presumably France3Paper Ewatermark – letter P with a fleuron above itaround 1537–1540, Maastricht (Netherlands)4Paper Fwatermark – hand with tight fingers with a three-leaf clover1538 Osnabrück, 1540 Lotharingia Papers of different types occur irregularly in the manuscript.
Type C paper Paper C is the oldest used in the manuscript. Its watermark depicts a rather thick snake, resembling the stance and curvature of a seahorse, with its head bent beyond the axis towards the margin, while its tail points in the opposite direction, although its end is also directed towards the margin. On the snake's head, there is a fleur-de-lis resembling a crown, and a tongue protrudes from its mouth directed upwards and ending in a blade-shaped tip. The snake's body is divided by a dorsal line into two parts, which are further divided into segments by oblique horizontal lines descending downwards. In Charles Briquet's catalogue, the most similar watermark is cataloged as number 10,738.
As established, this watermark was often found on papers from southern France, Spain, and Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries. However, the most similar ones to those found in the De revolutionibus manuscript were discovered on paper known from Middelburg from 1525. There, an even earlier paper was discovered, with a watermark featuring a similar depiction of the snake's tongue, dated to 1520.
Dating the paper is also facilitated by the fact that the text written on paper C, on leaf 88 verso, discusses an astronomical observation made by Copernicus on 11 March 1516. The occurrence of paper C ends on leaf 89.
Type D paper Paper D contains a watermark depicting a hand protruding from a cross with 9 pinnacles, with fingers raised upwards and spread out, placed beneath a crown. This paper is of inferior quality. Analysis of watermarks on similar paper has shown its origin from the town of Tulle, France, dating back to the years 1523 and 1526. Presumably, this paper reached Copernicus through the Netherlands, similar to paper C. In Charles Briquet's catalogue, the most similar watermarks are cataloged as number 10,944 and 10,946.
On paper D, Copernicus provided information and comments on astronomical observations from 27 September 1522 (leaf 128), 22 February 1523 (leaf 166), and 12 March 1529 (leaf 173). It is assumed that this paper was used by Copernicus from 1523 to 1533. Paper D occurs between leaves 9 and 192.
Type E paper Paper E contains a watermark in the shape of the letter P, with a fleuron placed above it. This watermark is almost identical to the one known from Maastricht in 1540. However, this paper reached Copernicus earlier, as he wrote letters in August 1537 and March 1539, and extensive portions of the manuscript were written on this paper before 1540. Paper E occurs between leaves 22 and 213. In Charles Briquet's catalogue, the most similar watermark is cataloged as number 8,698.
Type F paper Paper F contains a watermark similar to the one on paper D. It depicts a hand with fingers spread out, with a sleeve ending in a circular fold, above which is a three-leaf clover. This watermark has been identified in full accordance with other watermarks on papers from Osnabrück from 1538 and from Lorraine from 1540. Copernicus used the same paper in a letter to Duke Albert of Prussia dated 15 June 1541. Pages from paper F were therefore used in either 1540 or 1541.
In Charles Briquet's catalogue, the most similar watermark is cataloged as number 11,466. This watermark appears only once – on leaf 24, but paper F was used three times – on leaves 24, 25, and 209.
Sections The paper block containing Copernicus' autograph is divided into 21 sections, which were marked in the 16th century with consecutive letters of the Latin alphabet from a to x. The numbering of the pages in individual sections was probably added around 1854 in the Nostitz Library, as the list of the number and completeness of the manuscript's leaves placed under the ex libris dates from the same year.
Characteristics of sections in the manuscript of De revolutionibus Source: NumberDesignation of sectionType of paperLeaf numbersType of sectionLeaves layoutIrregularities1aC, D1 – 9quinternionleaf 0 cut out2bD10 – 19quinternion3cD, E, F20 – 31sexternion4dD, E32 – 39quaternion5eC, D, E40 – 51sexternion6fC52 – 61quinternion7gC62 – 70quinternionleaf 69 cut out8hC, E71 – 82sexternion9iC, D, E83 – 94sexternion10kD, E95 – 104quinternion11lD, E105 – 114quinternion12mD, E115 – 124quinternion13nD125 – 134quinternion14oD, E135 – 144quinternion15pD, E145 – 154quinternionleaf 146 cut out and pasted16qD, E155 – 164quinternion17rD, E165 – 174quinternion18sD, E175 – 184quinternion19tD, E185 – 194quinternion20vE195 – 202quaternion21xE, F203 – 213sexternionleaf 206 cut out The notation of the sections with letters occurred in the final stage of editing the autograph. Aleksander Birkenmajer expressed the view that for many years of working on the autograph, Copernicus completely managed without any numbering of its leaves or notebooks.
The letter signatures of the sections, except for the letter a on leaf 1, were applied by Copernicus in 1539.
Researchers paid particular attention to the absence of the first leaf from paper D in section a, which was very carefully cut out – almost without a visible trace – and its remaining edge was glued to the preceding protective leaf.
Aleksander Birkenmajer leans towards the view that the leaf, conventionally called zero, served for some time as the title page of Copernicus' work. Presumably, the leaf was removed during the binding of the manuscript, in 1603 or 1604 in Heidelberg.
The content of the zero leaf remains unknown. It is not known whether it contained only the title written by Copernicus' hand, or perhaps a dedication or notes about the history of the autograph or its successive owners. It cannot be ruled out that the zero leaf contained some glaring damage, stains, or doubtful notes. The structure of the autograph itself and the changes made by Copernicus in individual sections suggest that if Copernicus himself removed the zero leaf, he would have replaced it with another leaf and corrected the content on it.
Copernicus made frequent changes in the structure of the sections. He most often exchanged and rewrote sheets, and sometimes added additional leaves within the section. As a result, various types of paper from different periods of its acquisition are encountered in different sections.
Writing
The autograph is written by the hand of Nicolaus Copernicus in humanistic cursive. Marginalia and interlinear notes made by Georg Joachim Rheticus are found on leaves 21, 24, 71, 72, 188, and presumably 87 verso and 187 verso. Leaves 107 verso and 109 contain marginalia – two words written in the 17th century, attributed to Jakob Christmann.
One of the primary pieces of evidence supporting the assertion that this is Copernicus' handwritten autograph is a note attributed to Jakob Christmann: Nicolai Copernik [...] opus [...] propria manu exaratum.
To confirm or exclude the authenticity of Nicolaus Copernicus' handwriting, various autographs of Copernicus were examined, including, in particular, his letters, which serve as unquestionable and authoritatively attributed comparative material. Six handwritten letters of Nicolaus Copernicus to Johannes Dantiscus, preserved in Kraków and held at the National Museum in Kraków, were selected for this analysis. These letters were written over three years – 1536 and 1539 – between the ages of 63 and 66, and they bear his signature and date. The signature and handwriting are undoubtedly original.
As a comparative material for De revolutionibus, handwritten notes made and signed by Copernicus, providing samples of his handwriting from the years 1503, 1511, 1512, 1513, 1518, 1521, and 1529, were also considered. These notes, which raise no doubts about authorship or authenticity, have been preserved in the accounts of the Warmia Chapter and in the locational entries of Locationes mansorum desertorum. Their chronology complements the chronology covered by Copernicus' letters.