Reader Services Curious Finds – Parabola

This Curious Find comes to us from one of our regular readers Michael Gilligan.

The item is Underweysung Der Messung, “The Painter’s Handbook”, by Albrecht Durer, 1525.

Mr Gilligan drew our attention to Fig.36 in “Book 1” of the Handbook, a diagram showing the geometry of a parabola.

This diagram has been pasted over with a correction, and Mr Gilligan notes that it has survived without discolouration or peeling.

The original version is visible through the back of the page and so Mr Gilligan requested that our photographers attempt to extract the original image using their techniques.

As you can see from the images the photographers did an excellent job at capturing this Curious Find for us.

Item discussed in this Curious Find is Dürer, A. (1525). Underweysung der Messung. (The printed sources of western art ; 4). Portland (Or.): Collegium Graphicum.  SC 19439

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