Late 15th-century collection of alchemical treatises, with Geber's Summa perfectionis magisterii (f. 78r-115r) predominating by virtue of being the only illustrated treatise, as well as the longest (116 chapters) and most heavily annotated. Formerly a manuscript codex, all of the leaves are detached and burned on three edges (both sides and top), with loss of text in the upper corners. The leaves, each in a sleeve, are housed in two boxes.
Date:
1489
Identifier:
9977896331603681
Language:
Latin
Provenance:
Formerly owned by Gustavo Camillo Galletti, Florence (ex libris stamp, f. 1r).; Held in an unidentified German collection (Bloomsbury).; Sold at auction at Bloomsbury Auctions (London), 7 December 2020, lot 44.
147 leaves : paper; 270 x 195 mm (approximate extant dimensions of burned leaves); 220 x 146 mm (approximate dimensions of written area).
Personal Name:
Geber, active 13th century. Summa perfectionis magisterii.; Albertus, Magnus, Saint, 1193?-1280. De metallis in speciali.; Galletti, Gustavo Camillo, 1805-1868, former owner.
Rights:
http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?
Notes:
Ms. leaves.; Latin.; Title of manuscript from title of predominant work.; Collation: Paper, 147; 1⁸ 2-14¹⁰ 15¹⁰⁻¹ (10 probably canceled); [1-78, 78-104, 104-145], modern foliation in pencil on lower right recto or in ink on upper right recto of sleeves. Foliation used in this record as marked, including duplicate foliation. All leaves detached, hypothetical collation based on catchwords (f.8v, 18v, 28v, 48v, 97v (actually 98v), 106v (actually 108v)), with gatherings 4, 7, 8, and 14 probable but not marked with catchwords.; Layout: Written in 2 columns of 38 lines; ruled in ink with vertical bounding lines.; Script: Written in hybrid Gothic script (f. 1r-115r), with additions by contemporary hands (f. 117r-142r).; Decoration: 22 illustrations of alchemical equipment (f. 89-98) in the Summa perfectionis magisterii (f. 78r-115r); rubricated in red; manicules and nota marks by multiple readers (f. 6v, 7v, 13v, 20v, 25r, 27r, 42v, 45r, 47r, 48r, 64r, 68r-70r, 95v-96r, 99v, 104v, 107v-108v, 117v-118v, 119v-120r, 121v, 133v).; Watermark: Similar to Briquet Oiseau 12172 (Kleve, 1489) and 12173 (Metz, 1490) (f. 50, 97).; Origin: Probably written in western central Germany or adjacent parts of the Netherlands, circa 1489 (based on watermark).
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