MOHAMMED – BRY Jean Théodore de I. Acta Mechmeti I Saracenorum Principis. Natales, Vitam, Victorias, Imperium et Mortem eius ominosam complectentia… II. Vaticinia. Severi et Leonis in Oriente… regni Turcici sub Mechmete hoc III. praedicentia.

Atabey 331 (incomplete, missing the last leaves with the index); Göllner 2286 (“Beachtung verdienen die Kupferstiche… von Johann Dietrich und Johann Israel”) ; Adams B-2978; not in Blackmer (citing only the German language edition, published the same year after this Latin edition) nor in Koç Collection.

First edition.

Beautiful edition, richly illustrated with a large engraved border on the title page and 26 engravings in the text. The edition was overseen and produced by the brothers de Bry in their workshop in Frankfort whose editions of the small and large voyages to the Americas have become world famous.

The illustrations start with an allegorical title border showing Mahomet and the emperor Leo III followed by 10 engravings illustrating the prophet’s life. The 16 other engravings found iun the second part of the book illustrate the prophecies on the decline of the Ottoman Empire. This important biography as well as the engravings by the brothers De Bry were included in the 1664 edition of Chronica Turcica by Wilhelm Serlin.

“The first section concerns Mohammed the Prophet, with 10 engravings which illustrate scenes from his life… The second part, which includes 16 emblematical engravings, records a prophecy of the fall of the Turkish empire” (Blackmer).

“It was not until the very end of the 16th century that the Prophet was first represented in the guise of an Ottoman sovereign. The first printed image of Muhammad in distinctly Ottoman dress is to be found in the I. Acta Mechmeti I. Saracenorum Principis published by Johann Theodor and Johann Israel de Bry in 1597 in Frankfurt… Muhammad is described as a historical figure given the name ‘Mehmet I’ and is depicted according to conventional representations of Turkish sultans, wearing a moustache and dressed in a lavish royal caftan and a large ottoman turban” (Avinam Sheilem: Constructing the Image Muhammad in Europe, p. 107-108).

“The Acts were distinguished as the first printed Western book to illustrate the life of the Prophet Muhamad. The circumstances of the book’s 1597 publication suggest that this innovative project was a Protestant initiative. The book was first dedicated to Frederick IV, Elector Palatine (1574-1610), a stern supporter of Calvinism and a leading figure in the union of German protestant princes… In the second half of the sixteenth century, publishing a book on the life Muhammad and Islamic religious laws carried a certain risk for the author as well as for the editor… In the case of the acts, the editor de Bry was not alone in acting with caution. The compiler of the text showed an even greater reserve: nowhere in the book does he reveal his identity – probably for the same reason as Theodore de Bry. Nevertheless internal evidence suggests that the anonymous author was Jean-Jacques Boissard… The text of the title page suggests that the book consists of only two parts, a biography of the prophet, and a series of prophecies, attributed to the Byzantine emperor Leo VI, on the imminent downfall of the Ottoman empire. The engraved title page alludes to both of the sections of the book: the left side features the figure of Muhammad; the right a Byzantine emperor in his official robes. However, an examination of the text reveal the works organization into five segments of unequal length: the first section includes a biography of Muhammad as well as a presentation of the basic principles of the Islamic religion. The following section provides brief information on the sequence of the Saracen rulers and the Tartar kings. This second section alos summarizes the most important events related to their reigns up to the year 1300. Part three consists of a short summary of the religion and customs of of the Armenians and the Georgians. The following chapter contains an abbreviated history of the Ottoman sultans from 1300 to 1595, most of which is reserved for the deeds of Soliman the great and his grandson Murad III. The remaining half of the book discussed the aforementioned prophecies allegedly of Byzantine origins” (Ulrike Ilg, in : Religious Polemics and Visual Realism in a late 16th Century Biography of the Prophet Muhammad; de Gruyter).

Very good copy, complete with the blanc leaf and the index. Binding expertly restored, six leaves with corner restored, the last two touching text).

Provenance: Joh. Piscator (signature on the title) – Princely German or Austrian library (stamp on title verso). It could probably be Johannes Piscator (1546-1625), German theologian and writer, author of religious works and translator of the bible, published in seven volumes in Herborn in 1604.