Arcana quaedam Alberti cognomenti Magni de secretis mulierum

Alternate Title:

Arcana quaedam Alberti cognomenti Magni aliorumque de secretis mulierum.

Timespan:

Early works to 1800

Date:

1800

Description:

Anthology of excerpts from philosophical and medical works on human reproduction. Beginning with De secretis mulierum, a treatise known for its negative representation of women, often erroneously attributed to Albertus Magnus, the compiler copies and abridges selections from both the text and commentary, likely from a printed edition, sometimes diverging from the order of the text. Other Latin and German excerpts are interspersed with the selections attributed to Albertus Magnus, copied from sources ranging from classical authors such as Democritus and Pliny the Younger to 16th-century scientific authors such as Levinus Lemnius, Girolamo Cardano, and Johann Wittch.

Language:

Latin

Provenance:

Formerly owned by Robert Lenkiewicz, Appleby Castle, Westmorland.; Offered at auction at Sotheby's (London), in the sale of the collection of Robert Lenkiewicz, 20 November 2003, part of lot 217.; Sold at auction at Lyon & Turnbull (Edinburgh), 4 May 2016, lot 88.; Lenkiewicz, R. O. 1941-2002, former owner.

Relation:

The Friends of the Library Endowment Fund Home Page: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017.12/366212; The Julia B. Leisenring Book Fund Home Page: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017.12/366241

Subject:

Medicine, Medieval; Gynecology -- Early works to 1800; Gynecology; Human reproduction -- Early works to 1800; Women -- Health and hygiene -- Early works to 1800; Women -- Health and hygiene; Human reproduction

Resource Type:

Text

Form/Genre:

codices (bound manuscripts); anthologies; Manuscripts, European; manuscripts (documents)

Physical Description:

156 leaves : paper; 200 x 175 (120-140 x 125) mm bound to 205 x 185 mm

Rights:

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Notes:

Ms. codex.; Title from title page (f. 1r); the word aliorumque was added to the title page later.; Collation: Paper, i + 156 + i; 1-13¹²; [1-156], modern foliation in pencil, lower right recto. Gatherings 2-13 signed with numbers, lower left first recto.; Layout: Written in 9-14 long lines; vertical bounding lines in lead; quarto format.; Script: Written in a semicursive script, possibly by one hand.; Watermark: A complex watermark is barely visible.; Binding: Modern calf, older gilt spine label reading Secretis mulierum / Mss. / Alberti Magni.; Origin: Possibly written in the Netherlands, circa 1800 (Lyon & Turnbull).; Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund.; Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Julia B. Leisenring Book Fund.; Latin and German.

Physical Location:

Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Manuscripts, Ms. Codex 1790

Collection:

Friends of the Library Endowment Fund; Julia B. Leisenring Book Fund