Manuscript on paper of an alchemical text containing an excellent copy of the poem beginning "Unter den sieben Planeten bin ich Sol genannt ..." with associated prose commentaries, as first seen in MS 94. Decorated with a fine frontispiece and elegant head- and tailpieces all drawn in a copperplate style, as well as a series of pen-and-wash drawings depicting alchemical processes emblematically within circles, often surmounted by crosses
Description:
In German and Latin., Script: Calligraphically written in brown inks in a delicate Fraktur with some words or passages in cursive and with title pages in red and brown in elaborate gothic scripts., Watermarks: Written throughout on paper with a "PRO PATRIA" watermark, similar to Heawood 3696-3718, but countermarked with letters "CMH" (? in folds and uncertain)., and Binding: Original or contemporary binding of brown calf, the sides with a blind-impressed border of small tools, partly covered by a single gold rule, the back in six compartments decorated with gold-stamped small tools in a floral pattern, the second compartment from the top stamped directly with "BUCH DER WEISH" and the next compartment below with "MS." Edges peckled red over gilding.
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.