Vision Deleytable de la Philosofia et de las otras Sciencias

Vision Deleytable de la Philosofia et de las otras Sciencias

Alfonso de la Torre (d. ca. 1460) was a Castilian author educated in theology and the liberal arts at the University of Salamanca. He was likely descended from a Converso family, i.e. converted Jews, as were many 15th century Spanish academics, owing to the scholarly strength of the Rabbinical tradition. He authored an essay ca. 1440 at the behest of the Prior of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Juan de Beamonte. The work is divided into two parts, each of which is accompanied by 22 engravings in the 1489 print at hand, which originated in the Toulouse printing house of Juan Parix and Enrique Clebat. It is an incunabulum, a rare book printed before 1501. The former addresses the subjects of metaphysics and nature, while the latter is concerned with moral philosophy, virtues, and passions. The text is printed in Gothic script and has been praised for its wise insights. Numerous editions arose in the years to follow, speaking to the popularity of Torre’s work.