ARTEPHIUS. Liber secretus, nec non Saturni trismegisti, sive fratris heliae de Assisio Libellus. Quorum primus magicum ignem ab omnibus occultatum aperit. Alter, operandi modum aperte docet, [?Frankfurt]: 1685, 12°, some woodcut illustrations, decorated initials (old manuscript inscription, place of publishing and publisher on title erased causing a few small holes, a few marginal ink stains, unobtrusive dampstaining to lower margin, a few spots), contemporary marbled wrappers (slightly worn), old notes to rear pastedown and verso of final leaf. [Duveen p. 29]

Details

ARTEPHIUS. Liber secretus, nec non Saturni trismegisti, sive fratris heliae de Assisio Libellus. Quorum primus magicum ignem ab omnibus occultatum aperit. Alter, operandi modum aperte docet, [?Frankfurt]: 1685, 12°, some woodcut illustrations, decorated initials (old manuscript inscription, place of publishing and publisher on title erased causing a few small holes, a few marginal ink stains, unobtrusive dampstaining to lower margin, a few spots), contemporary marbled wrappers (slightly worn), old notes to rear pastedown and verso of final leaf. [Duveen p. 29]

Lot Essay

SCARCE, only one copy in NUC (University of Wisconsin). The copies in NUC and in Duveen both lack the title. "A very rare work, mentioned by Fergusson (I, 51) but not in the Young collection. It is probably the second edition. The second work by Helias the Franciscan is illustrated with 12 rather crude woodcuts showing the various stages of making the Philosopher's Stone within the Hermetic Vase. Very little seems to be known about this latter work" (Duveen).

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