Manuscript on paper of a collection of the works of Nicolaus, mostly related to medicine. In addition the codex has interesting lists of substances in Latin and German, as well as a tract on the distillation of brandy
Description:
In Latin and German., Watermarks: Two batches of unidentified paper watermarked with a gothic "P," the mark plain and smaller in one batch, larger and surmounted by a trefoil in the other., Script: Neatly written in a gothic cursive hand., Large capitals in red at text divisions, sometimes with slight pen ornament, other capitals stroked red throughout, fancy ascenders on top lines transgressing the upper rules and stroked red, similar descenders occasionally below the bottom bordering line, usually not colored., and Binding: Modern three-quarter binding of light brown buckram, plain brown niger back and corners, the back with five (false?) raised bands, gilt-lettered in the second compartment from the top, ANTIDOTARIUM NICOLAI, and at the foot of the spine, "AB. 1460". Plain edges.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Nicolaus, Salernitanus, active 12th century.
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy, Brandy, Latin language, Glossaries, vocabularies, etc, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Medicine, Medieval
Manuscript on paper (watermarks hidden in gutter) of alchemical texts including works by Albertus Magnus, Johannes Andreae, and Paracelsus. With treatises on the Philosopher's Stone and alchemical recipes
Description:
In Latin and German., Script: Written by 10 or more hands, all of the 17th and 18th centuries; most are cursive, but the one on ff. 176r-183r is gothic textura., Drawings in watercolor, of mediocre quality, including various symbolic depictions of alchemical processes taking place within flasks. Table of Hermes Trismegistus, f. 175r. Diagrams scattered throughout., and Binding: 18th century (?). Brown calf blind-tooled, edges gilt. Arms (unidentified) stamped on binding: on front, quarterly 1 and 4, barry of 6, 2 and 3, a lion rampant; inescutcheon, a bar fess impaled with barry of 6; the whole held by a two-headed eagle, displayed, below a crown. Back cover: barry of 8 impaled with a patriarchal cross on a hillock.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Albertus, Magnus, Saint, 1193?-1280., Giovanni d'Andrea, approximately 1270-1348., and Paracelsus, 1493-1541.
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy, German poetry, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin literature, Medieval and modern, and Manuscripts, Medieval
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.
Manuscript on paper of Andreas Oberlender, Probter Buechleln, 1532, an unsigned later copy executed about 1600, with a few additions. A metallurgical experiment book of the type circulated among those interested in alchemy, mining, and metallurgy in the 16th century, this text treats at length several minerals with a metallic luster such as marcasite, especially crystallized iron pyrites, which were often used ornamentally, in costume jewelry
Description:
In German., Script: Written by a single copyist writing a practiced German secretary hand, partly in a modified Fraktur, partly in a more italic cursive, and occasionally (as in the title page) in a formal gothic script; a few additions at the end in a later hand., Red inks used for tabular data and infrequent sketches of alchemical apparatus in the text., and Binding: Original stiff parchment over paper boards, remnants of two thong ties on the upper cover, slits for similar ties, now missing, on the lower cover; front cover lettered in very faded gothic script, apparently by the scribe: "PROBIER BUCH | ANDREAS OBERLENDER | 1532 |". A title has also been supplied by a modern hand in old style on the backstrip. Plain edges.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Oberlender, Andreas.
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy, German literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, Marcasite, and Metallurgy
Manuscript, on paper, in several hands, containing a collection of texts related to geomancy, divination, alchemy, and astrology. The principal work is a Latin translation of the Geomancia of Alkardianus, usually attributed to Bernard Silvester. This text is heavily annotated and surrounded by other notes and shorter works
Description:
In Latin. and Binding: contemporary limp parchment wallet-style wrapper binding, cockled and damaged. Effaced lettering on upper cover.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Alkardianus. and Bernard Silvestris, active 1136.
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy, Astrology, Divination, Geomancy, and Manuscripts, Medieval
