Manuscript on parchment and paper, written in two parts. Part I (parchment, written ca. 1490): 1) John of Rupescissa, De consideratione quinte essentie. 2) Descriptions of various herbs. Part II (paper, added ca. 1800): 3) Alchemy. 4) Recipes for making Prussian Blue, in Italian.
Description:
Binding: Late eighteenth century, probably French. Speckled calf, the sides undecorated, the repaired back in compartments with gilt tooling, the original title-stamping defective, speckled edges; restored by Carolyn Horton, November 1955., Part I: Headings in red throughout, that on f. 1r overwritten in an intense red ink covering earlier writing in pale red ink, the intense ink then used for the remainder of the headings in this portion of the codex, and the overwriting probably by the original scribe. Plain, small, roman capitals at beginnings of sections of the text in blue or green; a large initial "D" and a full border no f. 1r, as well as a smaller initial "L" at the beginning of the second book of text, foot of f. 25r, all finely illuminated in gold and colors in the "white-vine" style, the lower part of the border on f. 1r with a coat of arms consisting of a shield azure, a bear rampant or. Part II: Undecorated., and Script: Part I (ff. 1-40): Written by one hand in a neat, minute humanistic cursive. Part II (ff. 41-52): In an Italian hand.
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy--Early works to 1800, Formulas, recipes, etc, Herbs--Early works to 1800, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, and Prussian blue
Manuscript on paper containing 1) Le veau d'or, an unidentified alchemy in French. 2) Le rosaire des philosophes, an unidentified text incorporating many borrowings from medieval alchemy. 3) W.R., Experimentum verae confectionis philosophorum lapidis, in Latin, partly extracted from Geber and Eirenaeus Philaletha.
Alternative Title:
Le veau d'or
Description:
Binding: Original mottled calf, the flat back divided into compartments by fold rules, floral ornaments gold-stamped in the compartments, modern leather title label on backstrip, original red edges; hinges, corners, and edges repaired., In French and Latin., Mellon MS 17, acquired with the Duveen collection. Gift of Paul and Mary Mellon, 1965., Script: Written in an elegant cursive sloping to the right with many words tied together by ligatures., and Watermarks: Paper of endleaves with unidentified armorial watermark and countermark "FIRAILLE (?) FIN BOURGOGNE 1742," unidentified; paper of the text with the Amsterdam arms and countermark "FIN DE LECHALLE (?)," unidentified.
Manuscript on paper containing 1) A short group of alchemical recipes. 2) Fasciculus chimicus, a title page and dedication dated 1620, possibly from a printed book, not clearly related to the following matter. 3) Sixty-five pen and watercolor emblematical drawings of alchemical processes occurring in flasks, with brief captions. 4) Artephius, Liber secretus. 5) Philipp Muller, De mercurio. 6) Christophorus Van(n), Notes on processes, one dated Rome, 1702.
Description:
Binding: Original binding of parchment over pasteboards, flaps at the fore-edges, six thongs sewn through hinges, flat back with early lettering in ink "Artefius [flourish]," speckled edges; the binding resembles that of MS 61 and is of almost identical height., Contains a series of drawings with symbolic depictions of alchemical processes taking place within flasks, originally extending to sixty-five, of which a few are now wanting. The series closes with some additional drawings of apparatus, which parallel those seen first in MS 50; see also MSS 52, 54, 71, 86, and 110., and Modern foliation in pencil begins with f. 2. However, f. 2 is the front free endpaper.
Subject (Name):
Artephius. and Müller, Philipp, b. 1585.
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy--Early works to 1800., Formulas, recipes, etc., and Illumination of books and manuscripts--Early works to 1800.
Blank pages not digitized. and Imperfect: some pages mutilated with loss of text.
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy--Early works to 1800, Formulas, recipes, etc, Herbs--Early works to 1800, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Manuscript in an Italic hand of a satirical allegory on the events of the Russo-Turkish war, in which the various sovereigns are represented by animal figures. A key to the allegory follows the poem. The manuscript also includes a sonnet based on verse by Voltaire and a longer poem satirically comparing a poor student to a herring.
Description:
Purchased from Bennett Gilbert on the Laura K. and Valerian Lada-Mokarski Fund, 2002.
Subject (Name):
Voltaire, 1694-1778--Influence
Subject (Topic):
Allegory, Italian poetry--18th century, Russo-Turkish War, 1787-1792, and Verse satire, Italian
Remarks on Sr. J. Hawkins's 'General history of music', 1776.
Image Count:
36
Resource Type:
Archives or Manuscripts
Abstract:
Manuscript, in a single hand, with numerous corrections, of notes on "A General History of the Science and Practice of Music" by Sir John Hawkins. Citations from Hawkins' work are followed by often disparaging commentary upon them; Burney remarks that "Ch. V. Bk. IV is chiefly made up of dry dictionary articles of Biography, loosely littering his Book as if he had been in want of a needle & thread to tack them together," and "Vol. III p. 262 He calls Jno. Okenheim the disciple of Jusquin whereas it is well known he was the master." He includes a list of "Omissions of Composers & Performers who died long before Sr. Jno. published his History & therefore had fair Claims to a Niche in it." The work is interspersed with commentaries on various pieces and composers, accompanied by fragments of musical notation, and followed by a piece on "Dancing," a history of opera and theater titled "Progress of the Musical Drama or opera, at Venice," and another titled "Progress of the Musical Drama at Rome."
Description:
Binding: contemporary parchment., Index on flyleaf., Page numbers written in ink have been crossed out and replaced by different page numbers written in pencil., and Section ends with a note written in pencil: "Here insert an engraving of the transcript" although the engraving is not included.
Subject (Name):
Burney, Charles, 1726-1814 and Hawkins, John, Sir, 1719-1789
Subject (Topic):
Music--18th century--History and criticism, Musical analysis, Music--Europe--History and criticism, Music--History and criticism, Opera, and Opera--Italy
Copied about 1736. and On the questioning which is administered to the dead in their graves concerning their belief in the Prophet.
Description:
Entire volume preceded by 1 leaf of notes. Leaf incorrectly included in foliation of volume, making counts for all eleven titles off by one leaf., Fair naskhī, in red and black., In Islamic binding, in brown., and With: 10 other titles.
Subject (Topic):
Islamic binding. and Miscellanea--Death and burial