Collection ID: 0002 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

La filosophia naturale di molti celebri et antichissimi.

Authors

• Charles Rainsford Collection of Alchemical and Occult Manuscripts (University of Pennsylvania)

Other related names

• Rainsford, Charles, 1728-1809, former owner
• Northumberland, Hugh Percy, Duke of, 1742-1817, former owner (http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr93028960)

Call number

Ms. Codex 1681
(3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6206, University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 9962935543503681
• http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/913579882
• https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3154dv92 https://repository.upenn.edu/uniqueatpenn/23/

Publisher

University of Pennsylvania

Language

Italian, with notes in French

Origin

Date

1721

Place

Italy?

Summary

Alchemical treatise that discusses calcination, distillation, and transmutation as well as practical instructions for experiments and medicinal recipes. The end of the first volume also has a sonnet about the philosopher's stone (V. 1, f. 408r). Includes indices that are organized by subject (V.2, f. v recto-xi verso, 355r-364r) and lists of contents (V. 1, f. i verso; V.2, f. xii recto-xv verso) written in French. The first volume contains a foldout diagram between f. 320-321 and there is a fragment of a printed leaf laid into the second volume between f. 7-8.

Notes

• Title from title page (V. 1, f. 1r).
   
• Ms. codex.
   

Extent

2 volumes (410, 416 leaves) : 210 x 160 (173 x 130) mm bound to 222 x 180 mm +

Foliation

V.1: Paper, i (contemporary paper) + 410 + i (contemporary paper); [i, 1-2], 3-320, [i], 321-408, [i]. V.2: Paper, iii (contemporary paper) + 416 + iii (contemporary paper); [xl,1-2], 3-354, [355-376]; contemporary foliation in ink, modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto.

Support

Paper

Binding

Contemporary gold-tooled morocco. First volume has pink, yellow, and green silk ribbon bookmarks.

Layout

Written in 16 long lines.

Decoration

V. 1 contains pen and ink drawings and diagrams of alchemical apparatus, pentacles, and talismans throughout; title page partially illuminated with gold paint (f. 2r).

Script

Written in a semi-cursive script by a single hand.

Provenance

• Owned by the 2nd through 12th Dukes of Northumberland, ms. 592.1 and 592.2, Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, 1809-2014 (bookplate, inside upper cover; stamps throughout).
   
• Formerly owned by Charles Rainsford (British army officer, fellow of the Royal Society, and alchemist); bequeathed by Rainsford to Hugh Percy, Second Duke of Northumberland.
   
• Sold at auction at Sotheby's (London), 15 July 2014, as part of Lot 411.
   

Subjects topical

• Alchemy--Early works to 1800
• Alchemy
• Magic--Early works to 1800
• Magic
• Occultism--Early works to 1800
• Talismans--Early works to 1800
• Occultism
• Talismans

Genres

• Codices
• Diagrams
• Drawings (visual works)
• Manuscripts, European
• Recipes
• Manuscripts, Italian
• Manuals (instructional materials)

Keywords

• Treatise
• 18th century
• Italian
• Diagrams
• Paper
• Italy
• Alchemy
• Magic

Licenses

• Text

  These images and the content of Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Ms. Codex 1681: La filosophia naturale di molti celebri et antichissimi. are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

• Text

  Metadata is ©2017 University of Pennsylvania Books & Manuscripts and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Table of contents

• fol. 1r (V.1) — Main title page, f. 1r (V.1)
• fol. 2r (V.1) — Title page, f. 2r (V.1)
• fol. 2r (V.2) — Title page, f. 2r (V.2)
• fol. 355r (V.2) — Index, f. 355r (V.2)
• fol. 364v (V.2) — Blank leaves start

Decorations

• fol. 27r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 27r (V.1)
• fol. 29r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 29r (V.1)
• fol. 60v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 60v (V.1)
• fol. 71v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 71v (V.1)
• fol. 75v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 75v (V.1)
• fol. 90v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 90v (V.1)
• fol. 91v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 91v (V.1)
• fol. 97r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 97r (V.1)
• fol. 135v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 135v (V.1)
• fol. 241r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 241r (V.1)
• fol. 243v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 243v (V.1)
• fol. 245v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 245v (V.1)
• fol. 258r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 258r (V.1)
• fol. 265v (V.1) — Table, f. 265v (V.1)
• fol. 266r (V.1) — Table, f. 266r (V.1)
• fol. 269v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 269v (V.1)
• fol. 271v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 271v (V.1)
• fol. 275v (V.1) — Table, f. 275v (V.1)
• fol. 276r (V.1) — Table, f. 276r (V.1)
• fol. 276v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 276v (V.1)
• fol. 278r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 278r (V.1)
• fol. 278v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 278v (V.1)
• fol. 279r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 279r (V.1)
• fol. 283r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 283r (V.1)
• fol. 284v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 284v (V.1)
• fol. 285v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 285v (V.1)
• fol. 294v (V.1) — Diagram, f. 294v (V.1)
• fol. 333r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 333r (V.1)
• fol. 348r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 348r (V.1)
• fol. 361r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 361r (V.1)
• fol. 369r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 369r (V.1)
• fol. 377r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 377r (V.1)
• fol. 384r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 384r (V.1)
• fol. 391r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 391r (V.1)
• fol. 398r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 398r (V.1)
• fol. 405r (V.1) — Diagram, f. 405r (V.1)
• fol. 41r (V.2) — Diagram, f. 41r (V.2)