Földvári Books

Reportorio dos Tempos (1603) with references to America and Asia

Figueiredo, Manoel de

[Chronographia reportorio dos tempos] Chronographya reportorio dos tempos, no qual se contem VI. partes, s. dos tempos: esphera, cosmographia, & arte da navegação, astrologia rustica, & dos tempos, & pronosticação dos eclipses, cometas, & samenteiras. O calendario romano, cõ os eclypses ate 630. E no fim o uso, & fabrica da balhestilha, & quadrante gyometrico, com hum tratado dos Relogios. Composto por Manoel de Figueiredo natural de Torres Novas.

Empresso com licença em Lisboa [Lisbon]: por Iorge Rodriguez a custa de Pero Ramires, Anno de 1603. Woodcut armorial device on the title page, with a few woodcut initials throughout. Illustrated with several tables and nearly one hundred woodcut images, some full-page. Among them is a large world map (f. 78r) showing America, along with three small. First edition. In later full leather with a gilt spine, title vignette, gilt turn-ins, and red-tinted edges. Marbled endpapers. ff. [10 (misbound)], 284 [i.e. 283 (several mispaginated, some misbound)] [1 (woodcut ill.)]. [Complete]. With Victor M. d’Avila Perez’s bookplate, a shelfmark vignette, and the bookseller’s vignette (João Pereira da Silva & Filhos, Livreiros, Lisboa) on the inner front cover. Binding slightly rubbed at the extremities, with a damaged title label. The first ten preliminary leaves are misbound. Leaf f. 10 is trimmed at the lower edge, affecting the words nova and chea, which were printed vertically and repeatedly—likely as part of the errata—referring to lunar phases: Lua Nova (New Moon) and Lua Cheia (Full Moon). One page in the main text is also misbound (f. 187, mispaginated as 185, bound after f. 188. The title page has been restored, with a tiny loss to the printed border. The last leaf has also been restored, not affecting the woodcut illustrations. Small wormholes at the lower gutter of the first dozen leaves, not affecting the text, with a larger one at the lower outer corner between ff. 190–211, restored. The corner of f. 276 is missing, resulting in the loss of a few letters—not due to tearing, but rather the quality of the paper. Water staining appears at the lower edge of the first fifty leaves, reappearing at the outer corner in the middle of the book and again on the last few pages. A few pages have marginal loss due to the paper’s quality. Some leaves are slightly overtrimmed, touching the headers or last lines. Otherwise, in very good condition.

A scarce Portuguese treatise on astronomy, navigation, and geography, with early references to America and Asia.

Manoel de Figueiredo’s Chronographia: Reportorio dos Tempos is a comprehensive work compiling astronomical, calendrical, navigational, and geographical knowledge, with references to America and Asia. It follows the tradition of earlier Iberian Reportorio dos Tempos, a type of encyclopedic work or almanac that combined astronomical, calendrical, and astrological knowledge. The book provides detailed descriptions of celestial motions, the structure of the universe, and divisions of time, including religious calendars with saints' feast days. Additionally, it discusses meteorological phenomena, eclipses and their astrological implications, as well as practical information on navigation, tides, and agricultural practices. Intended for a broad readership, it contributed to the widespread popularity of such works (Valleriani 2020).

Figueiredo’s Reportorio is distinguished by its integration of practical mathematical applications, including instructions on the construction and use of navigational instruments such as the balestilha (cross-staff) and geometric quadrants. His work was essential for pilots, scholars, and mariners, synthesizing practical navigation with theoretical knowledge.

The book is structured into six main sections, covering Chronographia (chronology), Astronomia (astronomy), Geographia (geography), Astrologia (astrology), Computo Calendario (calendar calculations), and a sixth book (Do radio astronomico), dedicated to the fabrication and use of mathematical instruments such as the balestilha (cross-staff), a geometric quadrant, and various types of clocks. The text provides detailed solar and lunar cycle tables, designed for practical applications in calendar-making and eclipse prediction up to the year 1630. It explains the determination of longitude and latitude, essential for maritime navigation.

Parts 2–6 are richly illustrated with corresponding woodcuts. The title page of the second part features a large woodcut armillary sphere, and the section is further illustrated with zodiac signs, figural representations of the planets, and other scientific diagrams. This chapter includes a large, nearly full-page world map depicting the classical division of the Earth into five climatic zones (f. 78r). America appears as a distinct landmass in the western hemisphere but is crudely shaped, while Asia is merged with Africa, showing prominent bodies of water on the continents.

The Geographia section includes three smaller world maps: the first illustrating wind directions (f. 120v), the second explaining the Earth's spherical shape and its division into hemispheres (f. 128v), and the third likely indicating meridians and reference points (such as the Canary Islands and Cape Verde) for navigation (f. 140r). The Astrologia section contains a full-page illustration of the Zodiac Man, while the Computo Calendario section is illustrated with schematic moon faces representing different eclipse phases. The final section includes illustrations explaining the use of the cross-staff, the quadrant, and sundials.

A significant portion of the Reportorio is devoted to geographical descriptions, offering insights into European knowledge of the world in the early 17th century. It describes the four known continents and references major colonial centers in the Americas, Africa, and Asia (ff. 208–209). Some charts indicate the start dates of the hottest period of summer (dog days) in major cities worldwide, while others provide location charts based on the Lisbon meridian.

America is mentioned on f. 130, stating that the discovery of the New World, driven by royal ambition, revealed vast riches previously unknown to much of the world. The newly explored territories include Brazil, Peru, and the Indies (New Spain). To the north lies Terra Nova (Newfoundland), while to the south, extending to the Strait of Magellan, the text mentions the Caribbean islands, such as Cuba and Santo Domingo. The Río de la Plata region is noted for its wealth in silver, sugar, and other valuable commodities. Additionally, the book references the Amazon River, which flows into the ocean near one degree south of the equator.

The text also outlines Asia’s borders, islands, and rivers, mentioning Java Minor, Luconia, New Guinea, Ceylon, Mindanao, Borneo, and major rivers such as the Euphrates and Ganges. Asia is described as a fertile land rich in spices, silks, and other goods. It is home to Anatolia, Syria, Arabia, Persia, India, China, and Tartary, with key islands such as the Philippines, Japan, and Sumatra.

Manoel de Figueiredo (1568–1630) was a Portuguese cosmographer, mathematician, and astronomer. His work was deeply influenced by Pedro Nunes, and he contributed significantly to the organization and dissemination of mathematical and navigational knowledge. His work reflects the intellectual transformation of early modern Europe, where empirical observation and practical sciences were gradually overtaking medieval scholastic traditions. He was also known for his Hidrographia (1608) and Roteiro, e Navegação das Índias Ocidentais (1609), one of the first Portuguese roteiros—collections of sailing directions—detailing voyages from Lisbon to Portuguese outposts in the East and West Indies.

Extremely scarce, with only one record on RBH in a 1926 Maggs catalogue. IB locates only 14 copies worldwide, of which nine are held in Portugal, two in Brazil, and single copies in France, Spain, and the US (Cambridge, MA, Houghton Library, Harvard University).

Provenance: With the bookplate of Victor Marat d'Avila Pérez, a notable bibliophile whose extensive collection was cataloged in a six-volume work titled Catálogo da Riquíssima Biblioteca Victor M. d'Avila Pérez, organized by Arnaldo Henriques de Oliveira for an auction that began on April 29, 1940.

Not in Sabin, Borba de Moraes or other relevant bibliographies.

Reference: Valleriani, M. (Ed.). (2020). De sphaera of Johannes de Sacrobosco in the Early Modern Period. Springer.

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Price: €25,000.00