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[Universalis alchymiae compendium].
Kislak Center for Special Collections - Manuscripts Oversize Ms. Codex 503
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- Format:
- Book
- Manuscript
- Language:
- French
- Italian
- Latin
- Subjects (All):
- Alchemy--Early works to 1800.
- Alchemy.
- Chemistry--History.
- Chemistry.
- History.
- Medicine--Formulae, receipts, prescriptions--Early works to 1800.
- Medicine.
- Medicine--Formulae, receipts, prescriptions.
- Genre:
- codices (bound manuscripts)
- drawings (visual works)
- recipes
- Manuscripts, Italian.
- Manuscripts, Latin.
- Manuscripts, European.
- Penn Provenance:
- Provenance: "Il presente volume proviene della bibl. del Cav. Rossi" [18th century]; Godefr. Rivius [Rivio?], 1845.
- Physical Description:
- 309 leaves : paper, illustrations ; 309 x 210 mm bound to 318 x 230 mm + 8 notes and 1 booklet
- Place of Publication:
- [Italy], [between 1700 and 1799]
- Language Note:
- Latin, with some sections in Italian, several leaves in French.
- Summary:
- Collection begins with section from Franciscus Onuphrius Marsciano's Clavis arcis hermetis; it contains extracts from Jean Jacquet Manget's Bibliotheca chemica and other sources and covers a considerable area of the corpus of alchemical literature, including Basilius Valentinus, Daniel Mylius, Seger Weidenfeld, Ceasare della Riviera, etc. Volume opens with Catalogus tractatium totius operis, a detailed list of the contents of the entire work.
- Contents:
- 1. f.2r-7v: Catalogus Tractatum totius Operis.
- 2. f.10r-70v: a. Materia remota, Onuphrius, etc..
- 3. f.73r-86v: A. Materia remota, Mangeti Bibl. Chem..
- 4. f.89r-101v: B. Prima preparatio Materia remota ad viam humidam.
- 5. f.105r-110r: C. Via sicca, Onuphrius, etc..
- 6. f.117r-121v: D. Spiritus vini preparatio ad viam humidam.
- 7. f.127r-129r: E. Spiritus Aceti preparatio ad viam humidam.
- 8. f.133r-138v: F. Salis extractio per viam humidam.
- 9. f.145r-158r: G. Salis volatilizatio per viam humidam.
- 10. f.161r-165v: H. Mercurius duplicatus ... Quinta essentia.
- 11. 171r-188r: J.K. Opus cum Auro.
- 12. f.195r-225v: L. Duratio totius operis ...
- 12. f. 231r-245v: M.N. Vas, sigillum hermeticum, furnes, et materia preparato introductio ...
- 13. 247r-260r: O. Ultima Decoctionis Finis.
- 14. f.263r-280v: P. Multiplicatio, ligamen, projectio.
- 15. f.287r-298r: Q. Medicina rubra ...
- 16. f.299r-301v: R. Medicina alba ...
- 17. f.305r-306v: S. Libri ...
- Notes:
- Title supplied by cataloger (Zacour-Hirsch).
- 8 leaves laid in include: a sonnet, Materia Filosofia Sonetto, (1 leaf) and a note (1 leaf) laid inside the front cover; 5 leaves laid in between f. 47 and f. 48 (p. 76-77, section a.), 4 of these are illustrations of apparatus; and one leaf laid in between f. 79 and f. 80 (p. 14-15, section A.).
- An additional item laid inside upper cover is a booklet, 8 leaves, sewn, containing recipes for various remedies, in Italian.
- Foliation: Paper, 309; [xviii], 1-122, [iv], 1-28, [iv], 1-26, [vi], 1-11, [x], 1-10, [x], 1-5, [vi], 1-12, [xii], 1-27, [iv], 1-10, [v], 1-35, [xii], 1-62, [x], 1-30, [ii], 1-27, [iv], 1-36, [vi], 1-23, 1-6, [vi], 1-4, [iv], contemporary pagination in ink, upper outer corners; [1-309], modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto. References in this record are to modern foliation.
- Layout: Written in 2 columns with the left hand column reserved for notes, page references, symbols, etc.; a few pages have two full columns of text.
- Script: Written in a cursive script by what appears to be a single hand.
- Decoration: A few illustrations, mostly drawings of alembics, other alchemical apparatus, and furnaces, some drawings on smaller leaves laid in and tipped in.
- Watermarks: Several watermarks including BEINETTE, PC, and others.
- Binding: Contemporary boards. Surfaces of both covers are torn. Final two sections (Q., R.) water damaged with circular stain on lower right hand corner of page, text is legible.
- Origin: Written in Italy in the 18th century (Zacour-Hirsch).
- Cited in:
- Described in Zacour, Norman P. and Hirsch, Rudolf. Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Libraries of the University of Pennsylvania to 1800 (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1965), p. 235 (Ms. E.F. Smith 16).
- Cited as:
- UPenn Ms. Codex 503
- OCLC:
- 155964351
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