2 options
An enquiry into the origin of the game of tharot.
Kislak Center for Special Collections - Manuscripts Ms. Codex 1692 v.1-4
Available in person
Request an item
Access options
- Format:
- Book
- Manuscript
- Author/Creator:
- Court de Gébelin, Antoine, 1725-1784.
- Language:
- English
- Greek, Modern (1453-)
- Hebrew
- Subjects (All):
- Occultism--Early works to 1800.
- Occultism.
- Tarot (Game)--Early works to 1800.
- Tarot (Game).
- Genre:
- Manuscripts, English.
- Manuscripts, European.
- Penn Provenance:
- 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.
- Owned by the 2nd through 12th Dukes of Northumberland, ms. 604-607, Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, 1809-2014 (bookplate, inside upper covers; stamps throughout).
- Sold at auction at Sotheby's (London), 15 July 2014, as part of Lot 411.
- Physical Description:
- 4 volumes (188, 180, 130, 196) leaves: paper ; mm bound to mm + 2 notes
- Production:
- [England], [circa 1794]
- Language Note:
- English, with occasional words in Hebrew and Greek.
- Summary:
- English translation by Charles Rainsford of French text on the history and use of tarot cards for divination by Antoine Court de Gébelin.
- Notes:
- Ms. codex.
- Title from title page (V. 1, p. v).
- Pagination: V:1: Paper, 188 leaves; [vi], 1-290, 201-278, [ii]. V.2: Paper, 180 leaves; [ii], 1-174, [i], 1-55, 55-182. V.3: Paper, 130 leaves; [iv], 1-246, [x]. V.4: Paper, 196 leaves; [x], 1-76, 72-87, 87-110, 1-4, 4-141, [cxxiv]. Contemporary pagination in ink, upper outer corners.
- Script: Written in a cursive script.
- Decoration: Several pen and ink diagrams throughout (for example, V. 3, p. 212); pencil drawings of tarot figures (V. 2, p. 175; V. 3, p. 150).
- Binding: Contemporary parchment. Moderate to severe moisture damage has made the paper very fragile and the text illegible in many places. Volume 4 has severe moisture damage to paper and many leaves are stuck together.
- Origin: Written in Lymington, 2 September 1793 (V. 2, p. 174) and Gibraltar, 28 February 1794 (V. 3, p. 346) and 25 July 1795 (V. 4, p. 110, 141).
- Local Notes:
- Purchased with support from the B. H. Breslauer Foundation.
- Cited as:
- UPenn Ms. Codex 1692.
- OCLC:
- 917533076
- Online:
- Unique at Penn blog post
The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.