German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer (1571-1630) best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion. ADS in German, signed “Johan Keppler, Mathematicus Mppria,” two pages on two adjoining sheets, 8.25 x 11.5, no date but circa August/September 1628. Kepler authorizes the bearer to attend the Steyr Iron Corporation's committee hearing scheduled for September 10, 1628, writing (translated): "Power and authority to attend the action of the Iron Company Commission established in Steyr on 10 September of this year 1628." He signs the second integral leaf beside his fine papered seal, showing Kepler's arms and initials, "I. K." In fine to very fine condition.
At the hearing, headed by the Upper Austrian civil servants Johann Spindler and Konstantin Grundemann, it was disclosed to the Corporation's several hundred creditors that the Corporation had suffered substantial losses which they would have to bear, so as to prevent a municipal bankruptcy (cf. F. X. Pritz, Beschreibung und Geschichte der Stadt Steyer [Linz, 1837], p. 276).
Johannes Kepler was a pivotal figure in the scientific revolution, best known for formulating the laws of planetary motion that laid the groundwork for Newton's theory of gravitation. His contributions to astronomy and mathematics transformed our understanding of the cosmos, marking him as one of history's great scientists. Due to the limited number of surviving documents from his time, Kepler's autograph is extremely rare and highly valued by collectors and historians alike.
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