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Libra Esoterica

La filosophia naturale di molti celebri et antichissimi

Author not recorded

  • First published:
  • 18th century
  • Languages: French, Italian
  • Content type: ManuscriptPrimary source
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Description

Description from Colenda Digital Repository — University of Pennsylvania Libraries (opens in a new tab)

Alchemical treatise that discusses calcination, distillation, and transmutation as well as practical instructions for experiments and medicinal recipes. The end of the first volume also has a sonnet about the philosopher's stone (V. 1, f. 408r). Includes indices that are organized by subject (V.2, f. v recto-xi verso, 355r-364r) and lists of contents (V. 1, f. i verso; V.2, f. xii recto-xv verso) written in French. The first volume contains a foldout diagram between f. 320-321 and there is a fragment of a printed leaf laid into the second volume between f. 7-8.

Provenance

Why this book is in the catalog

Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Alchemy and Hermeticism, Occultism and esotericism, and Ritual magic and grimoires.

  • Occultism and esotericism

    Controlled discovery queries from colenda matched “Occultism”. Retained metadata contains “Occultism” in the subject metadata and “occult” in the cataloging notes.

    • “Occultism”· via Colenda Digital Repository — University of Pennsylvania Libraries
    • “Occultism”· in subject
    • “occult”· in cataloging note
  • Ritual magic and grimoires

    Controlled discovery queries from colenda matched “Magic”. Retained metadata contains “Magic” in the subject metadata, “Talismans” in the subject metadata, and “Talismans” in the edition notes.

    • “Magic”· via Colenda Digital Repository — University of Pennsylvania Libraries
    • “Magic”· in subject
    • “Talismans”· in subject
    • “Talismans”· in edition notes
  • Alchemy and Hermeticism

    Controlled discovery queries from colenda matched “Alchemy”. Retained metadata contains “Alchemy” in the subject metadata and “alchemist” in the cataloging notes.

    • “Alchemy”· via Colenda Digital Repository — University of Pennsylvania Libraries
    • “Alchemy”· in subject
    • “alchemist”· in cataloging note

Membership records how this book met the catalog’s discovery criteria — relevance to a tradition, not a judgment of the book’s claims.

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Editions

One edition cataloged here.

University of Pennsylvania digitized manuscript

2 volumes (410, 416 leaves) : paper ; 210 x 160 (173 x 130) mm bound to 222 x 180 mm + 1 note; Binding: Contemporary gold-tooled morocco. First volume has pink, yellow, and green silk ribbon bookmarks.; Decoration: V. 1 contains pen and ink drawings and diagrams of alchemical apparatus, pentacles, and talismans throughout; title page partially illuminated with gold paint (f. 2r).; Foliation: V.1: Paper, i (contemporary paper) + 410 + i (contemporary paper); [i, 1-2], 3-320, [i], 321-408, [i]. V.2: Paper, iii (contemporary paper) + 416 + iii (contemporary paper); [xl,1-2], 3-354, [355-376]; contemporary foliation in ink, modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto.; Italian, with notes in French.; Layout: Written in 16 long lines.; Ms. codex.; Origin: Written in Italy[?] in 1721 (v. 1, f. 2r).; Purchased with support from the B. H. Breslauer Foundation.; Script: Written in a semi-cursive script by a single hand.; Title from title page (V. 1, f. 1r).

1721—French, Italian—Public download

Subjects

5 subject headings

Identifiers & provenance

How this record was assembled, and the authority identifiers it carries.

Identifiers

Colenda
  • ark:/81431/p3154dv92

Cataloged from

Cataloging notes

  • Colenda collection: Charles Rainsford Collection of Alchemical and Occult Manuscripts (University of Pennsylvania)
  • Penn Libraries catalog identifier: 9962935543503681
  • Physical location: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Manuscripts, Ms. Codex 1681
  • 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.; Northumberland, Hugh Percy, Duke of, 1742-1817, former owner.; Owned by the 2nd through 12th Dukes of Northumberland, ms. 592.1 and 592.2, Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, 1809-2014 (bookplate, inside upper cover; stamps throughout).; Rainsford, Charles, 1728-1809, former owner.; Sold at auction at Sotheby's (London), 15 July 2014, as part of Lot 411.
  • Rights: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0
Catalog id
colenda:81431-p3154dv92
Edition coverage
Multi source partial
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