AP 1<h2>A Nice Little Book </h2> BnF, lat. 7432 is a codex consisting of 275 folios bearing dimensions of approximately 125 × 205 mm. The binding is modern on wood board and covered with brown leather.

AP1<h2>What's Next?</h2> This manuscript features a modern numbering for the quires, which indicates that the binding was probably entirely redone in the nineteenth century. By the gutter, quire number ‘2’ is faintly visible. During the Middle Ages the binder would know which quire came next, by looking at the word or words placed on the bottom of the last page of each quire. This would indicate the next word or words of the first page on the next quire. Catchwords are usually to be found at the bottom of a page in the margin, and are sometimes put in decorated frames to mark a distinction from the main text.

AP 2<h2>Paper or Parchment? </h2> Apart for three guard-leaves in paper, the manuscript consists of parchment of good quality. Most of the parchment constituting this manuscript seems to have the same origin. However, the last quire of the volume betrays a different quality, and it is very likely of a different origin. Interestingly, in the 15th century parchment was frequently replaced by paper for most uses except luxury manuscripts as this.

AP 3<h2>Belleperche</h2> The BnF collection preserves eleven manuscripts related to Conrad Heingarter. The reference to Belleperche found in some other manuscripts, such as BnF 7305 (f. 364r) and BnF 7333 (f.14r) constitutes an unmistakable signature feature of Conrad Heingarter. Indeed, Belleperche is Heingarter’s favourite retreat for literary composition and study. From this manuscript (ff.125v-126r) and BnF 7305 (f. 346r) it is possible to learn that Heingarter aims, with his work, at paying tribute not only to he Duke Jean II of Bourbon, but also to his castle of Belleperche.

AP 4<h2>A (not so) Marginal Note</h2> Conrad Heingarter produced a treatise on planetary latitude, which in this manuscript appears as an extended marginal note in brown ink. The treatise at issue is addressed to a certain Michael Roscher, who was procurator of the nations of England and Germany when Heingarter was still at the university, and the two seem to have developed a rapport. Conrad Heingarter received his B.A. in 1454, his M.A. in 1455 and licentiate in medicine at the University of Paris on March 1466. However, the treatise does not comprehend a date and Heingarter’s actual relationship with the University environment after his degree on 1466 is not known.

AP 5<h2>Fantastic Illuminations and Where to Find Them </h2> The manuscript is decorated throughout by numerous very refined floriated initials. These are beautifully executed in a variety of colours including ultramarine, gold, red and green. The full-page illuminations are also all surrounded by very rich border decoration characterised by floral and vegetal motifs, animals and fantastic creatures typical of the style of the period and of high artistic quality. This, alongside the richness and refinement of the iconographic programme, testifies to the aristocratic provenance of the manuscript and to a courtly environment.

AP 11<h2>The Prince of Astronomers</h2> Ptolemy is the figure that, unsurprisingly, recurs the most in the iconographic programme of this manuscript.&nbsp;Imaginary portraits and representations of Ptolemy are very common throughout the Middle Ages and Early Modern period as he embodies the figure of the Astrologer par excellence. Ptolemy is often depicted alongside Astronomy personified herself and other Liberal Arts. In this manuscript Ptolemy appears five times, he is always robed with the same red garment and blue headgear and in three occasions he is holding the astrolabe – which he allegedly invented. Occasionally, in the medieval period, Ptolemy is mistakenly identified as an ancient Egyptian ruler, and hence depicted as a king often wearing a crown. This is not the case in this manuscript, where Ptolemy is clearly depicted as an astrologer and not as king as he is always wearing a headgear and never a crown.

AP 16<h2>The Prince of Astronomers</h2> Ptolemy (Lat. Claudius Ptolemaeus) was an astronomer, a mathematician, and geographer who flourished in Alexandria during the 2nd century AD. Ptolemy’s name is most largely associated with the geocentric system or geocentric model, which is indeed also called ‘Ptolemaic system’. In this system, the Earth is stationary and at the centre of the Universe and the Sun, Moon, and planets revolve around it in paths which, as observed from Earth, do not appear to be circular. The Quadripartitum (Latin for Tetrabiblos) and the Almagest were dominant works respectively in astrology and astronomy in the Middle Ages. This manuscript includes, among others, three Ptolemaic works together with Conrad’s commentary (i.e. Quadripartitum, Centiloquium and De cometis).

AP 7.2<h2>It Makes a World of Difference</h2> We see Ptolemy standing next to a representation of the world. The globe is divided in four compartments, referencing the text of the second book of Ptolemy's Quadripartitum where the author discusses the peculiarities of astrological configurations, and how they affect mankind.

AP 7.3<h2>Written in the Stars</h2> Ptolemy is depicted alongside four different persons most likely representing the four elements (fire, water, air and earth) and consequently the different inclinations of mankind. This illumination refers to book three of the Quadripatitum where Ptolemy discusses the interpretation of horoscopes of individuals set for the moment of the birth and how the stars and planets and their position affect the life, inclinations and temperaments of individuals.

AP 7.4<h2>The Children of the Planets</h2> On f. 103v is represented Ptolemy overseeing a scene with many different characters that is not of immediate straightforward interpretation. What is clear is that, like the previous illumination, this also relates to the influence of the planets on the inclinations and lives of individuals. The three figures on the top right-hand side could be identified as personifications of the planets Mars, Mercury and Jupiter while the men engaged in a variety of different activities in the foreground, are to be identified as the ‘children of the planets’, that is individuals who are born under the influence of different planets and whose lives are therefore influenced and governed by the inclinations and characteristics associated to these planets.

AP 6<h2>It's in the Frame!</h2> The incipit (i.e. opening section of a text) of the most relevant works included in this beautiful presentation copy are framed in luxury decorations. Interestingly, this manuscript also includes horoscopes (ff. 125v, 129v, 131r) and diagrams (ff. 212r, 214r, 217v, 218v) enclosed in fully decorated frames. This particular feature in the layout suggests that incipit of texts, diagrams and horoscopes are equally treated as relevant sections of the text they are part of. The diagrams surrounded by decorations in this manuscript are those of the Theorica planetarum Gerardi, one of the most popular astronomical texts in the Middle Ages.

AP 7.5<h2>Baby Haly Abenrudian </h2> On f. 125v is represented the first of the three illuminated horoscopes, this one showing a swaddled baby in a meadow. The baby represents Haly Abenrudian (c. 988 - c. 1061), an Egyptian physician and astronomer. This manuscript includes three examples Haly Abenrudian provides for the of interpretation of three nativities, starting with its own nativity.

AP 7.6<h2>Horoscope for a child</h2> &nbsp;On f. 129v is depicted, always inside a horoscope, a child standing on his feet.

AP 7.7<h2>A seated child</h2> On f. 131r we find the third and final illuminated horoscope, that is decorated with a seated child who looks very similar to the one depicted in the previous illumination.

AP 7.8<h2>What do the Stars Say to You, Doctor?</h2> On f. 134v Ptolemy is depicted taking the King’s pulse and pointing at the moon. This illumination attests to the close relationship between medicine and astrology in the medieval period. At this time and during early modern period, astrological works were often keenly studied by medical practitioners who enhanced their medicinal knowledge with what they learned from astronomy and astrology.

AP 7.9<h2>Masha'allah ibn Athari</h2> On f. 151v is depicted Masha'allah (740–815 AD), a great Persian Jewish mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, in a representation of the cosmos. He is depicted, like Ptolemy in the previous illuminations, holding an astrolabe thus underlining his profession as astrologer.

AP 7.10<h2>Look Up!</h2> On f. 160r is represented a scene of public lecture, the orator is pointing at the stars thus suggesting that the topic is related to astronomy and astrology. Like the other full page illuminations this one too is surrounded by a very rich border decoration characterised by floral and vegetal motifs, animals and fantastic creatures.

AP 7.11<h2>It's Just Like an Onion!</h2> On f. 209r is depicted a representation of the cosmos, following the iconography typical of this period. At the centre is Earth, our planet is then surrounded by the spheres, that are identified by the presence of stars and moon and finally everything is surrounded by the twelve zodiac signs. At the four corners the winds are depicted – Boreas, Eurus, Notos, Zephyrus. This illumination introduces the section of the manuscript that contains the Theorica planetarum Gerardi and its commentary.

AP 7.18<h2>A Total Eclipse of the . . . Moon</h2> On f. 224r is represented a lunar eclipse. This illumination is found at the incipit of John of Saxony’s Canons of the Alfonsine tables, and its presence is fitting since John of Saxony worked on an iterative method for finding the times from mean to true syzygy (that is the conjunction or opposition of the Moon and Sun) by re-working the iterative process developed by Ptolemy in the Almagest. The presence of angels in the four corners of the illumination reminds us of the Christian context in which this manuscript was made.

AP 7.19<h2>A young prince learning</h2> On f. 238v is represented a young prince ‒ as evidenced by his costume with ermine fur and the diadem on his head ‒ being taught astronomy by a group of preceptors. Stars are clearly visible in the sky depicted outside the room where the scene is set. This illumination introduces the manuscript’s section on mathematical astronomy and underlines the importance of the study of astrology. It is also interesting to notice the writting support used by the young prince.

AP 8<h2>The Theorica</h2> The second chapter of the present work, the Theorica planetarum Gerardi, includes a diagram representing the lunar model. That of the Theorica was a widely spread astronomical literature in the Middle Ages. There were at least two Theorica, this one, which was attributed to Gerard of Cremona, and that by Campanus of Novara. Using these texts students could learn about&nbsp;definitions and enumeration of spheres, observational information as well as astronomical models.

AP8.1<h2>The Epycicles</h2> The diagram at issue shows the epicycle orbit of the moon. The epicycle was a geometric model used to explain the variations in direction and speed of the apparent motion of the celestial bodies, namely the Sun, the Moon and the planets. Lunar theory is distinguished, among other things, by the use of a central circle.

AP 9<h2>Places and Numbers</h2> This folio, front and back, include an incomplete geographical table. The tradition initiated by Ptolemy, in his Geography, to list geographical coordinates of places of the known inhabited world at his time, was taken up by medieval astronomers. Indeed, many medieval manuscripts including astronomical or astrological works include such tables. These tables list the longitude and latitude of many places and were extremely valuable for adjusting astronomical computation based on the location of the practitioner.

AP 10<h2>The Parisian Alfonsine Tables</h2> In this manuscript the version of the Alfonsine tables opens with a set of chronological tables and tables for the motion of the eighth sphere. These are followed by radices and mean motion tables.

AP 10<h2>The End</h2> The bottom of the page includes the explicit "finiunt tabule illustrissimi regis Alfoncii" (i.e. The tables of the most illustrious King Alphonsus end). After this explicit other astronomical tables are handed down in the same kind of layout. Thus, they are presented as belonging to the same set of tables, although they do not pertain the authority of the king Alfonso X. This continuity in the layout reflects the practice of historical actors of employing different material in their procedures, approaching different traditions which they yet perceived as whole.

AP 12<h2>Greek Letters, Diphtongs and Christian Prayers</h2> The last 4 folios (270r-275v) include a transcription of Greek letters with their orthographic variants, a list of greek diphthongs and christian prayers in Greek with interlinear latin translation. The knowledge of Greek seem to have been among the skills Heingarter might have had. Indeed, if we give credit to Guilhelmus Copp of Basel, Heingarter was a voracious reader of Greek literature and this comment is particularly significant given that Guilhelmus Copp seem to have been among the first in France to engage into the translations of the works of Hyppocrates, Galen and Paul of Aegina. Hints at his possible knowledge of Greek are also found at the end of the table of contents in BnF, lat. 7333, where he seems to have written ‘end’ (τέλος)&nbsp;and in BnF, lat. 7295A, where he includes the following explicit "Explicit seu finis per Koradum Heingarter" in Greek letters.

AP 13<h2>Pro studencium utilitate</h2> Texts in this manuscript seem to have served also a didactic purpose, as it would be suggested by a few passages where Heingarter refers to students (f. 3v, 102v, 125v-126r). From the first pages of the manuscript Heingarter claims that the work is "pro studencium utilitate" (i.e. for the utility of students). Interestingly, on f. 125v-126r&nbsp;the reference to the utility of students is found in connection to the most obvious aim of this presentation copy, namely that of rendering homage to the Duke and his castle of Belleperche. This suggests that the didactic purpose of the copy goes together with its presentation aim.

AP 14<h2>An original treatise on planetary latitude</h2> The folios 219r-222v include an original treatise presented in the form of a letter, in two sections on planetary latitude by Conrad Heingarter. The planetary latitude is the degree of deviation to the north or the south of the ecliptic line (i.e. the path of the Sun) that the five classical planets (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and Mercury) exhibited during the course of their periods. Heingarter’s interest on the topic of planetary latitude emerges grately from the manuscripts of his library now preserved at the BnF.

AP15<h2>That's a Warm Heart!</h2> From this folio to f. 263v the manuscript includes tables for astrological use in red and brown ink. These tables indicate the degrees of the 12 signs with their nature and subdivisions (terms, decans, sex, harmful degrees, lunar mansions, etc.). The little, big, or sometimes rather lightened hearts found in these pages symbolize the sun!

This manuscript from the second half of the XVth century was commissioned by Conrad Heingarter as a presentation manuscript.