Aurea Catena Homeri

Contributor:

Rainsford, Charles, 1728-1809 (former owner); Northumberland, Hugh Percy, Duke of, 1742-1817 (former owner)

Name:

Kirchweger, Anton Joseph, -1746; Charles Rainsford Collection of Alchemical and Occult Manuscripts (University of Pennsylvania)

Timespan:

Early works to 1800

Date:

1770

Description:

Copy of an alchemical treatise that discusses the creation and decomposition of matter as well as the transmutation of metals and has practical instructions for conducting experiments with fermentation, distillation, and the generation of animals, vegetables, and minerals. Also includes a table of contents (v. 1, f. 7r-9v) and an alphabetical index (v. 2, f. 184r-197v).

Language:

German

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. 593.1 and 593.2, 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.

Relation:

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

Subject:

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

Resource Type:

Text

Form/Genre:

Codices; Diagrams; Drawings (visual works); Treatises; Manuscripts, German; Manuscripts, European

Physical Description:

2 volumes (220, 269 leaves) : paper; 193 x 134 (166 x 115) mm bound to 205 x 145 mm

Rights:

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

Notes:

Ms. codex.; Title from caption title (f. 1r).; Foliation: V.1: Paper, 220; [x, 1-210]; V.2: Paper, 269; [v, 1-264]; modern foliation in pencil, lower right recto. Irregular contemporary numbering in outer margins of some leaves.; Layout: Written in 23 long lines.; Script: Written in a cursive script by a single hand.; Decoration: Several diagrams (v. 1, f. 2v, 183v; v. 2, f. 94v); occasional use of alchemical symbols (for example, v. 1, f. 6v).; Binding: Contemporary parchment. Binding of v. 1 is pulling loose from text block. Several blank leaves in v. 2 are uncut at the top edge.; Origin: Written in Germany in 1770 (note, v. 1, f. 1r).; Purchased with support from the B. H. Breslauer Foundation.; German.

Physical Location:

Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Manuscripts, Ms. Codex 1682