[Medical and philosophical compilation]

Name:

Charles Rainsford Collection of Alchemical and Occult Manuscripts (University of Pennsylvania)

Timespan:

Early works to 1800

Date:

1750

Description:

Collection of works copied by Charles Rainsford that includes texts on the Druze people and their religion, classical philosophers, and a final section of medical recipes and remedies. Also includes a partial list of contents (p. 30). There is a cracked but intact red wax seal on p. 80.

Language:

English; Greek, Modern (1453-); Hebrew

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.; Owned by the 2nd through 12th Dukes of Northumberland, ms. 610-614, Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, 1809-2014 (bookplate, inside upper cover; stamps throughout).; Sold at auction at Sotheby's (London), 15 July 2014, as part of Lot 411.; Rainsford, Charles, 1728-1809, former owner.; Northumberland, Hugh Percy, Duke of, 1742-1817, former owner.

Relation:

Unique at Penn blog post: https://repository.upenn.edu/uniqueatpenn/23/

Subject:

Alchemy -- Early works to 1800; Alchemy; Druzes -- Early works to 1800; Philosophy -- Early works to 1800; Philosophy; Occultism -- Early works to 1800; Occultism; Druzes

Resource Type:

Text

Form/Genre:

manuscripts (documents); codices (bound manuscripts); compilation manuscripts; manuals (instructional materials); prescriptions; seals (artifacts); Manuscripts, European

Physical Description:

138 leaves : paper; 193 x 158 (165 x 115) mm bound to 200 x 168 mm

Rights:

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

Notes:

Ms. codex.; Title supplied by cataloger.; Pagination: Paper, 138 leaves; [1-240, 1-3, 3-35]; contemporary pagination in ink, upper outer corners.; Script: Written in a cursive script in the hand of Charles Rainsford.; Binding: Contemporary parchment.; Origin: Written in Gibraltar[?] in the second half of the 18th century.; Purchased with support from the B. H. Breslauer Foundation.; English, with some Greek and a few words in Hebrew.

Physical Location:

Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Manuscripts, Ms. Codex 1696