Stage II
“The White men had some spell or magic”

Or, Translatio studii et imperii (Transfer of Learning and Power) as Scripturalization


…the white men had some spell or magic…. I was now more persuaded than ever that I was in another world, and that everything about me was magic….As every object was new to me, every thing I saw filled me with surprise…a watch which hung on the chimney…a picture hanging in the room, which appeared constantly to look at me…I thought it was something relative to magic…

Olaudah Equiano/Gustavus Vassa

Stage II points us to the long history of modern-world European colonial and before such other imperial dominant regimes and their control of forms of representation and mediatization. In the modern world this has especially involved the writing and printing and distribution of books (and related objects). It is the fetishization of such that Equiano/Vassa deftly identifies and characterizes for the reader that is striking. It also makes clear the psycho-political and violent uses—translatio studii et imperii (“transfer of learning and power”)--of books and related objects and instruments (clocks, for example) that are part of a larger culturalist masquerade that can be more poignantly described and analyzed as scripturalization. The latter is my preferred term to capture white men’s semiosphere/regime of mediatization.

Title page of Francis Bacon’s massive and influential but incomplete Instauratio Magna (1620). This work was intended in the early era of European “discoveries” of Others to “restructure”—through new genres of writing--how knowledge is defined, structured, and accessed. The ship in the center is depicted as being oriented plus ultra (“farther beyond”), Latin words inscribed on the Pillars of Hercules (the edge of European civilization), and which had served as the motto and guiding ideology of (“Holy Roman Emperor” and King of Spain) Charles V (1500-1558). 

Reflective of the same ideological orientation is the Latin epigraph at the bottom of page--Multi pertransibunt & augebitur scientia (a riff on Daniel 12:4). Translated as “Many shall go forth and knowledge shall be increased,” it was somewhat paradoxically made by Bacon to be consonant with the seventeenth century pan-European-imperial transmutation and application of (biblical and other) apocalyptic hopes.

 

Summary: Fourth German edition of Sebastian Münster's Cosmographia, a world chronicle with extensive geographic descriptions and detailed illustrations. It includes two maps of the world, as well as maps of Europs, Africa, Asia, India and various European countries as well as numerous cityscapes.

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Cosmographei, oder, beschreibung aller länder, herrschaften, fürnemsten stetten, geschichten, gebreüche[n], hantierungen etc.

Summary: Fourth German edition of Sebastian Münster's Cosmographia, a world chronicle with extensive geographic descriptions and detailed illustrations. It includes two maps of the world, as well as maps of Europs, Africa, Asia, India and various European countries as well as numerous cityscapes.Imprint: from colophon.Illustrative and Decorative Content: Title within woodcut border. Printer's mark on verso of last leaf.Binding: Blind tooled, pigskin binding.Additional Details: Pagination is incorrect and should be MCCCXXXVII instead of MCCXXXIII (Pages 951-962, 1191-1193, erroneously numbered 947-956 and 1153-1154). Includes index.

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Seated to right, seen on profile, Flavio Amalfitano at his desk measuring a compass while reading a book; a globe and an hourglass also seen on his desk and a dog at his feet; opposite him, floating on air, a sailing ship and below another desk with books and an astrolabe globe; a large recipient filled with liquid and a stone at entre seen in the foreground, to left.

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Lapis Polaris Magnes

Seated to right, seen on profile, Flavio Amalfitano at his desk measuring a compass while reading a book; a globe and an hourglass also seen on his desk and a dog at his feet; opposite him, floating on air, a sailing ship and below another desk with books and an astrolabe globe; a large recipient filled with liquid and a stone at entre seen in the foreground, to left.Inscription content: Plated numbered 2. Lettered in margin, below image, with the title and two sentences in Latin: 'Lapis reclusit iste Flavio abditum' and 'Poli suum hunc amorem, at ipse navitae'. On image, bottom right: 'Ion.Stradanus Invent.' and 'Phls. Galle excud.'.

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A description of the customs of indigenous peoples of the Americas as recorded by colonizing forces.

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Mœurs des sauvages ameriquains, comparées aux mœurs des premiers temps

A description of the customs of indigenous peoples of the Americas as recorded by colonizing forces.

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Summary: A collection of works on astronomy, including works by Pierre Gassendi, Galileo Galilei, and Johannes Kepler.

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Petri Gassendi : Institutio astronomica, juxta hypothese tam veterum quam recentiorum : cui accesserunt Galilei Galilei Nuntius siderus, et Johannis Kepleri Dioptrice

Summary: A collection of works on astronomy, including works by Pierre Gassendi, Galileo Galilei, and Johannes Kepler.Illustrative and Decorative Content: Contains a number of diagrams and star charts. Title in red and black.Additional Details: Institutio astronomica, which includes Oratio inauguralis a Petro Gassendo, has also special t.-p. Sidereus nuncius by Galileo, and Dioprice by Kepler, each with special t.-p. are paged continuously.

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A photographic reproduction of a drawing by Johannes Woudanus of the library at Leiden University, showing the organization of materials by topic.

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Reproduction of a drawing of the library of Leiden University in 1600 by Johannes Woudanus

A photographic reproduction of a drawing by Johannes Woudanus of the library at Leiden University, showing the organization of materials by topic.

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Summary: A family Bible which includes the Apocrypha, an introduction, tables, and a list of scubscribers.

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The self-interpreting Bible: containing the sacred text of the Old and New Testaments. : translated from the original tongues, and with the former translations diligently compared and revised. To which are annexed, marginal references and illustrations

Summary: A family Bible which includes the Apocrypha, an introduction, tables, and a list of scubscribers.Signatures: [pi]2a-k2A-8A2A-T2A-3X2*2X4.Illustrative and Decorative Content: The New Testament has special t.-p. and separate signatures. Plates engraved for this American edition.Additional Details: In double columns.

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Summary: This work on restitution usury and excommunication by Franciscus de Platea, an Italian Franciscan, was printed nine times in the 15th century, this edition being the second.

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Opus restitutionum usurarum et excommunicationum

Summary: This work on restitution usury and excommunication by Franciscus de Platea, an Italian Franciscan, was printed nine times in the 15th century, this edition being the second.Signatures: [aa-cc, a-g¹⁰, h¹², i-t¹⁰, v⁴] First and last leaves blank and wanting.Imprint: (from colophon) Quem legis impressus dum stabit in aere caracter Dum non longa dies vel sera sata prement. Candida perpetuae non deerit fama Cremonae. Phidiacum hinc superat Bartholomeus ebur. Cedite chalcographi millesima uestra figura est Archetypas fingit solus at iste notus. M.CCCC.LXXII. Nicolao trvno dvce Venetiarum regnant impressum fvit hoc opus foeliciter.Illustrative and Decorative Content: Three large illuminated initials, extended to half frame full page; initials supplied in red; paragraphs marked in red.Binding: Bound in recent vellum, black spine label with title in gilt.Additional Details: Annotated in a neat, contemporary hand with vertical lines marking paragraphs - limited to first 40 leaves of text.. Occasional nos. at corners suggesting pagination, but infrequent and not consistent. On verso of last blank ownership mark [?] in old ink ["Kemoressa?]. Leaf [2a]: Incipit tabvla restitvtiomvm [sic] vsvrarvm et excomvnicationvm [sic] edita per venerabilem dominvm fratrem Franciscvm de Platea ordinis minorvm.

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An engraved portrait of John Wesley.
ornamental vine image

White Males and their Books


See Exhibition
An engraved portrait of John Wesley.

John Wesley

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An engraved portrait of Johann Eck, one of Martin Luther's notable opponents. Includes two captions: "Iohannes Eckius Canonicus Theologiae Doctor et Propagator Eccle. Rom." and "natus in pago Eck 13.Nov.1486 Obiit 10 Febr.1543 at 57. Procancellarius Acad. Ingolstad."

Iohannes Eckus Canonicus Theologiae Doctor et Propagator Eccle. Rom.

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An engraved portrait of Jean Calivin, founder of Calvinism.

Joannes Calvinus: Prompte et Sincere

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An engraved portrait of Desiderius Erasmus based on a portrait pained by Hans Holbein. The caption reads "Desid: Erasmus Roterod: Natus 1467. Den: et Sepult: Basiliae 1556. Ad Archetypum I: Holbenii in Biblioth: bupl: Basil: adservatum pictum cum annum ageret Erasmus LV."

Desid. Erasmus Roterod.

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A woodcut portrait of Martin Luther holding a book.

Martin Luther

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An engraved portrait of Olaudah Equiano which appears in his autobiography.

Olaudah Equiano of Gustavus Vassa, De Africaan

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