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4 June 2009  |  Books   |  Article

Giovanni Baptista della Porta’s Magia naturalis (Natural magic)

Melanie Halloran, Specialist, Books and Manuscripts Department, New York

Ancient Distillation, Decoded
In 1589, Italian scientist Giovanni Baptista della Porta published the expanded edition of his most famous work, Magia naturalis (Natural magic), a volume consisting of over twenty parts that treat a range of scientific observations including medicine, botany, alchemy and more. The treatise shown here is an expansion of the section in Magia naturalis on distillation and it offers the most comprehensive view of the applications of distillation in the sixteenth century. On its pages, Porta provides a detailed discussion of the methods of extraction used to create mineral oils and acids, essential oils from plants like rosemary and mint, and wine and spirits. He goes on to include recipes for the creation of perfumes, medicinal ointments, and oils derived from spices.

While its scientific relevance is of great importance, this treatise is also appealing for Porta’s use of fanciful illustrations. The book is peppered throughout with whimsical and imaginative representations of distillation glassware and apparati shaped like animals.


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