The most sublime mathematical game of medieval Europe, presented for a Renaissance prince

(Eberbach, Gottschalk). Rhythmomachiae sive arithmomachiae ludi mathematici ingeniosissimi descriptiones duae. Ex antiquis exemplaribus nunc primum editae. Beschreibunge eines künstreichen alten Spiels mit zahlen, aus dem Latein verdeutschet, verstentlich und kurz zusammen gezogen, und jetzt newlich an tag gebracht.

€ 8.500,00

A rare work combining two treatises on Rithmomachy, a board-game popular from the Middle Ages through the end of the sixteenth century. Notoriously complicated but highly celebrated due to its potential to illustrate sublime mathematical principles, Rithmomachy was roughly similar to chess, but with each piece assigned a numerical value. It was considered an essential part of mathematical education for centuries.

The editor, Gottschalk Eberbach, states that he discovered these two Latin treatises in an old manuscript, and decided to publish them with the addition of helpful diagrams and a German account of the game. The first treatise is framed as a dialogue between Pythagorean philosophers, who describe the game as an introduction to the mysteries of mathematical harmonies. The second is a more straightforward description of the rules, which is then translated into German. The volume is dedicated to Christian I, later Elector of Saxony (1560-91), who at the time of publication would have been 17 and so undergoing a liberal education, in which rithmomachy would have played an important role.

In Rithmomachy, the board is divided into a grid, with the opposing players' pieces opposite one another. In addition to different types of pieces (round, square, triangle or the most powerful, pyramid) every piece has a numerical value, which determines how it interacts with and whether it can capture others. The game allows for multiple types of victories depending on the numerical outcomes.

In spite of its alleged Pythagorean origins, Rithmomachy is first attested in the 11th century AD as a means of teaching the principles of mathematics in western European monastic schools. Roger Bacon, the great medieval polymath and scientist, recommended it to his students, and Sir Thomas More envisioned the inhabitants of Utopia as playing it for relaxation. This volume dates from the height of the game's popularity in the sixteenth century.

Extremely rare: copies of this volume are known in three German libraries (in Munich, Erlangen and Dresden), while one in Berlin was destroyed during the war. This exemplar was first owned by the noted German physician Bruno Seidel (Seidelius), a student of Melanchthon at Wittenberg who served as professor of physics at Erfurt and also distinguished himself as a poet and collector of proverbs. It later formed part of the famous chess library of James Wilson Rimington Wilson, Lord of the Manor of Bolsterstone north of Sheffield, a gentleman chess-player who probably also commissioned the binding. Rimington Wilson amassed what was considered one of the greatest chess libraries in Europe, which was sold at Sotheby's in 1928.

A rare look at one of the most celebrated mathematical games of medieval and early modern Europe.