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'Ricordi', an alchemical notebook, in Italian, manuscript on paper [Italy, end of 16th century]
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Anonymous Italian alchemist
'Ricordi', an alchemical notebook, in Italian, manuscript on paper [Italy, end of 16th century]
Instructions and advice by a late 16th-century Italian alchemist on the Great Work: the alchemical process of creating the Philosophers' Stone and transmuting lesser substances into gold.
212 x 154mm. 8 leaves, varying number of lines per page, the instructions numbered 1-38 (occasional spotting and marginal staining). Card binding.
Content: 'Ricordi', notes and instructions on the alchemical process: calcination (the first operation in alchemical transformation); the sublimation of mercury in a hermetic vase; trituration (the reduction of substances to a powder); projection (in which the stone or elixir is tossed upon the molten base metal - lead or tin, in this case - to transmute it; fermentation (the fifth operation in alchemical transformation); putrefaction (the first stage of the fermentation operation, with the first stage of fermentation - or rotting of a substance under a prolonged, gentle heat, 'continuo, non violente, sottile, chiuso, chiaro, [...]' - lasting, according to our author, 282 days, with further passing of time seeing nine transmutations of different colours); on the healing properties of the Philosopher's Stone and the duration of the Work (9 and a half months, in the author's opinion) ff.1-6; blanks ff.6v-7; an excerpt, in Italian, from the end of Chapter V of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's De Occulta philosophia, beginning 'La base et il fondamento di tutti gli elementi è la Terra' and ending 'et è veriss[im]a medicina della restauratione et conservatione nostra', ff.8-8v.
'Ricordi', an alchemical notebook, in Italian, manuscript on paper [Italy, end of 16th century]
Instructions and advice by a late 16th-century Italian alchemist on the Great Work: the alchemical process of creating the Philosophers' Stone and transmuting lesser substances into gold.
212 x 154mm. 8 leaves, varying number of lines per page, the instructions numbered 1-38 (occasional spotting and marginal staining). Card binding.
Content: 'Ricordi', notes and instructions on the alchemical process: calcination (the first operation in alchemical transformation); the sublimation of mercury in a hermetic vase; trituration (the reduction of substances to a powder); projection (in which the stone or elixir is tossed upon the molten base metal - lead or tin, in this case - to transmute it; fermentation (the fifth operation in alchemical transformation); putrefaction (the first stage of the fermentation operation, with the first stage of fermentation - or rotting of a substance under a prolonged, gentle heat, 'continuo, non violente, sottile, chiuso, chiaro, [...]' - lasting, according to our author, 282 days, with further passing of time seeing nine transmutations of different colours); on the healing properties of the Philosopher's Stone and the duration of the Work (9 and a half months, in the author's opinion) ff.1-6; blanks ff.6v-7; an excerpt, in Italian, from the end of Chapter V of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's De Occulta philosophia, beginning 'La base et il fondamento di tutti gli elementi è la Terra' and ending 'et è veriss[im]a medicina della restauratione et conservatione nostra', ff.8-8v.
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