Manuscript on paper of an alchemy in verse with an extended prose commentary
Description:
In German and Latin., Script: Calligraphically written by a single hand in an elegant German Fraktur, the Latin passages in cursive, both sloping to the right., Watermarks: Fine Dutch paper watermarked with a cartouche with the inscription "C. & [?] HONIG" below, comparable to Heawood 3347 (1724-1726), but judged to be somewhat later., and Binding: Original German binding of mottled dark brown calf, sides plain, back in compartments with gold tooling imitative of French work, citron morocco title label with gold lettering in gothic characters, "Das geheime Buch der Weisheit," and blind impression in the compartment below of a second label now missing, lettered "1. 2. 3. 4." Red edges: pastedown and facing side of flyleaves at front and back marbled in red.
Holograph manuscript on parchment and paper of Caspar Harttung vom Hoff of Gastein, Das Vade mecum, a commonplace book of alchemical and medicinal materials, consisting of mostly shorter prose and verse sections, often with excellent drawings, thirty-one in all, of alchemical equipment, written in 1557, and with additions written about fifty years later
Description:
In German and Latin., Script: Written in a small, neat gothic cursive, additions in a neat italic hand and a rather irregular and sometimes scrawling cursive gothic, both perhaps about 1625., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Straight-grained black morocco, gilt single-line perimetric border for each cover and spine, gilt dentelles, and border of the same tools at head and foot of spine, modern tan leather spine label, with legend: HARTUNG V. HOFF | VADE | MECUM | MANUSCRIPT | AUSTRIA 1557 |".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Harttung vom Hoff.
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy, Drawing, Handbooks, vade-mecums, etc, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Medicine
Manuscript on paper of John of Rupescissa, De consideratione quinte essentie, anonymously translated into German
Description:
In German., Script: Written by a very fine and bold German gothic cursive hand., Headings and capitals (a few decorated) in red throughout., and Binding: Original reddish brown polished leather over finely beveled wooden boards, troughs for two clasps and two spikes on front cover, each cover with five nipplelike wrought brass bosses, one at each corner and one in the center, the lower cover with two large brass roundels used to fasten the now-missing strap ties which emerged from the lower fore-edge; sides ruled to a simple geometric pattern, back with raised bands, the clasps now missing and the hinges cracked, but the binding sound.
Manuscript on paper of Andreas Oberlender, Probter Buechleln, 1532, an unsigned later copy executed about 1600, with a few additions. A metallurgical experiment book of the type circulated among those interested in alchemy, mining, and metallurgy in the 16th century, this text treats at length several minerals with a metallic luster such as marcasite, especially crystallized iron pyrites, which were often used ornamentally, in costume jewelry
Description:
In German., Script: Written by a single copyist writing a practiced German secretary hand, partly in a modified Fraktur, partly in a more italic cursive, and occasionally (as in the title page) in a formal gothic script; a few additions at the end in a later hand., Red inks used for tabular data and infrequent sketches of alchemical apparatus in the text., and Binding: Original stiff parchment over paper boards, remnants of two thong ties on the upper cover, slits for similar ties, now missing, on the lower cover; front cover lettered in very faded gothic script, apparently by the scribe: "PROBIER BUCH | ANDREAS OBERLENDER | 1532 |". A title has also been supplied by a modern hand in old style on the backstrip. Plain edges.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Oberlender, Andreas.
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy, German literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, Marcasite, and Metallurgy
Manuscript on paper roll of George Ripley (?), Alchemy, in English verse, with additional verses attributed to Richard Carpenter. With Arnold of Villanova, Visio mystica, anonymously translated into English
Alternative Title:
Ripley Scroll
Description:
In English., Watermark: coat of arms (a bend) surmounted by a large fleur-de-lys, the type of Briquet 995 and Heawood 58-118, but not identical with any of these., Script: Written by an accomplished secretary hand using various forms and sizes of letter, some headings in roman capitals in epigraphic style., Large drawings in ink and watercolor. One large and fine drawing of an alchemist who holds a vessel, in which are eight roundels with brief Latin inscriptions and containing drawings symbolizing alchemical processes, all joined together by chain-links and surrounding a larger roundel to which they are connected by chains emanating from the bosses of a large book in the central roundel, the book being held by two individuals, the one on the left in monk's dress, the one on the right in richer (kingly?) garb. A toad, feathers, and drops of blood arise from the vessel. Another drawing of a tree growing from a well, its leafy top extending upward into the text, its leaves with the legend "Spiritus Anima"; against the tree trunk are a female anthropomorphic figure with the toes of a toad, labeled "Spiritus", and below, a male child labeled "Anima"; vines with grapes twine around the tree trunk, and two nude human figures, male and female, standing in the water grasp the vines and eat the grapes. Around the well are seven towers, in each of which is a robed alchemist holding a flask; the towers have the legend "Prima (-Septima) Imbibissio". In a third large drawing, the sun breaks through clouds and droplets of water fall on an anthropomorphic, crowned human-headed bird (the Phoenix?) which reposes on a brownish ball with a pattern of waves (the sea, as the verses below state); feathers surround the ball. Below is a sort of sunburst with a sphere at center inside of which are three smaller spheres, red, blue, and gray, linked together by chains. Below this is a triple crescent moon of the same colors, with the inscription "Luna cressens" (sic). Below, the snout of a very large dragon intrudes on (bites?) the crescent moon; the dragon is flanked by the legend at the foot of f. 11: The Serpent of Arrabia. The dragon occupies all of f. 12 and reposes on an orb divided into three parts onto which its blood drips. At left of the final folio, there is an excellent drawing of a man, his mouth agape, his left hand raised in a gesture of astonishment. He appears to be dressed in humble attire; he carries a bag over his shoulder, and a sack over his right arm; under the same arm is a curious pole with a shod horse's hoof at one end, a scroll at the pointed upper end, a portion of the scroll streaming out behind him., Paper roll consisted originally of thirteen folio sheets and half-sheets of differing lengths glued together, averaging 540 mm. in width (lateral margins and broad bordering line in black ink partly trimmed away); now cut into thirteen sections measuring about 435 x 540 each, except for the last which measures 625 x 540, each of the sections glued down to a linen backing and the whole folded in-leporello., and Binding: Modern brown suede leather, back and corners of brown niger, gold rules setting off the two leathers on each cover, the upper cover with title lettered in gold, "ASTROLOGICAL SCROLL", probably English, early 20th century.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Ripley, George, d. 1490?
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy, English poetry, Illumination of books and manuscripts, English, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript, on parchment, in a single hand, containing Middle English versions of several works by Rolle, including Emendatio vitae; Ego dormio; The Commandment; and Form of Living. Also contains a Middle English version of Walter Hilton's Mixed Life and The volume also contains Johannes de Rupescissa, Tractatus de Quinta Essentia (ca. 1470). 84 l. Manuscript on paper, in a single gothic bookhand. In Latin. Preceded by a title page dated 1650
Description:
In Middle English., Layout: single columns of 25-31 lines., Script: English bookhand., Decoration: some rubrication., and Binding: seventeenth-century limp vellum.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Rolle, Richard, 1290?-1349.
Subject (Topic):
Devotional literature, English (Middle), English literature, English prose literature, Alchemy, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of 1) Ps.-Raymundus Lullus, Figurae instrumentales Testamenti: Diagrams and tables related to the Testamentum, a treatise of the Lullian alchemical corpus. 2) Recipes for obtaining the philosophical stone and the magisterium
Description:
In Latin., Script: Art. 1 is written by one scribe in Southern Gothica Semitextualis Libraria, with cursive x and cursive final s. Art. 2 was added by two scribes writing Humanistica Cursiva Libraria., The tables and diagrams are traced in brown or red ink. Except in the tables there is no ruling for the text. The text is written in brown and red ink., and The parchment is stained and worn due to folding and manipulation.
Manuscript on paper of Elias Cortonensis O.F.M., Lumen luminum, said according to this copy to have been composed in 1315, an erroneous date, and drawn from Saracen and Hebrew sources, translated into Latin. With a cryptic text, ascribed to a church figure, with a cipher code; and miscellaneous recipes in Italian
Description:
In Latin, with Italian prologue., Watermark: a circle containing an unidentified design element, with a six-pointed star on a shaft above, not identified., Script: Written in an italic hand and partly in cipher., and Binding: Original, North Italian. Dark leather, the sides ruled with triple bordering lines to form a rectangle within a rectangle, the smaller rectangle with a roll tool of vinelike foliage impressed in blind, a smaller interior rectangle formed by the panel of roll tooling with gold-stamped ivy leaves at the corners and a circular stamp incorporating the "yhs" monogram in the center framed by a lozenge of tooling with the same roll already mentioned; back with five raised bands; modern gold-stamped title label pasted onto second compartment from top. Backstrip and corners extensively repaired; gilt edges stamped with a herringbone knotwork pattern.
