[Seals of the planets]

Timespan:

Early works to 1800

Date:

1575

Description:

A manual on talismans or seals, thought to help manifest the powers of the planets when created in metal or on parchment. For Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn, as well as the Moon and Sun, there is a brief text accompanied by five seal faces (except in the case of the Moon, which has four). Three faces have esoteric zodiacal and planetary signs and names, some with Hebrew letters; the fourth has a magic square (array of numbers) associated with the planet; and the fifth has a careful ink drawing of the planet represented as a divinity in human form.

Language:

German

Provenance:

Sold by Les Enluminures (Paris and Chicago), 2008.

Subject:

Astrology -- Early works to 1800; Astrology; Magic -- Early works to 1800; Magic; Medicine, Magic, mystic, and spagiric -- Early works to 1800; Medicine, Magic, mystic, and spagiric; Talismans -- Early works to 1800; Magic squares; Talismans

Resource Type:

Text

Form/Genre:

Codices; Treatises; Manuscripts, German; Manuscripts, Renaissance; manuscripts (documents)

Physical Description:

9 leaves : paper; 200 x 162 mm bound to 204 x 170 mm

Rights:

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

Notes:

Ms. codex.; Title supplied by cataloger.; Table of contents: 1. f.1r-2r: De sigillo Lunae.; Table of contents: 2. f.2v-3r: De sigillo Martis.; Table of contents: 3. f.3v-4r: De charactere Mercurii.; Table of contents: 4. f.4v-5r: Sigillum Jovis.; Table of contents: 5. f.5v-6v: De sigillo Solis.; Table of contents: 6. f.7r-7v: Sigillum Veneris.; Table of contents: 7. f.8r-9r: De sigillo Saturni.; Foliation: Paper, i (modern paper) + 9; [1-9]; modern foliation in pencil, lower right recto.; Script: Written in a German cursive script.; Decoration: Small ink drawings of divinities associated with planets: Luna (f. 2r), Mars (f. 3r), Mercury (f. 4r), Jove (f. 5r), the Sun (f. 6v), Saturn (f. 9r), and Venus (f. 9r).; Binding: Modern boards.; Origin: Written in Germany, in the late 16th century (Les Enluminures).; German, with Latin and Hebrew.

Physical Location:

Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Manuscripts, Ms. Codex 1264