A plant (Lunaria perennis), related to honesty: flowering plant with leaf and floral segments. Etching, c. 1718, after C. Aubriet.

A fruiting stem of Colutea orientalis, a flowering Lunaria fruticosa, a flowering Jacobæa ægyptiaca and a fruiting stem of Astragalus orientalis. Etching by G. D. Ehret, c. 1743, after himself.

A plant (Lunaria sp.): entire flowering plant with separate fruiting stem, opened fruit and seed. Coloured etching by M. Bouchard, 177-.

Material: paper; 22 ll. (last 8 bl.). 8vo.; leaf dimensions: width 14.5 cm, length 22 cm

MS.34

1 volume 10 folios (last 2 b1.) + 110 folios 4to. 21 1/2 x b15 1/ ; 2 cm 17 th century vellum binding. The first leaf is slightly defective. Written in a small upright humanistic hand, 28-31 lines to a page. A few headings and paragraph marks in red. Illustrated on folios 5v, 6, 7v, 8v, with pen-drawings of alchemical apparatus. On foleave 40v, two water-colour drawings of 'Lunaria'. The early 17th century additions are by at least two diferent hands.

Collection of short alchemical works, extracts, notes, etc. in Latin. (Miscellanea Alchemica IV).

1 volume 8 leaves + 43 ff. + 31 ff. + 10 leaves + 82 ff. + 5 leaves 4to. 21 x ; 14 cm Modern paper covers. At least one leaf wanting after foleave 82 of the receipts.

Herbals: 17th cent.

1 volume 208 leaves 8vo. 16 x : ; 11 cm Original vellum covers from a leaf of 15th cent. Church accounts (?) in German: inside the lower cover is a medical receipt by another 15th cent. hand. Some leaves seem to be wanting between folio 98 and folio 105, also possibly at the beginning and end. Many margins are cropped and frayed, some stains and fading of the text. A few passages have been struck through or painted over. A number of leaves appear to be bound in wrong order. There are many slips of various sizes bound in: these have been included in the foliation. <pages>A few headings and paragraph marks in red. <pages>A foliation in pencil has been added. <pages>In the following list of illustrations, reference is made to Duveen's 'Le Livre de la Tr?s Sainte Trinit?', a 17th cent. French MS. translation, containing 25 illustrations, described in 'Ambix', Vol. III, pages 26-32. Our MS. contains only four of these illustrations. <pages><li>folio 30 A circular figure with seven spokes in red and black, lettered with the names of the seven Virtues and the seven Planets - probably in reference to the seven Metals. This corresponds to the fourth plate in Duveen, except that in the French MS. there is no lettering.</li><pages><li>folio 67v A roughly drawn figure in red and black showing the relation of the four Elements to the Planets (or Metals). This is not in Duveen. </li><pages><li>Fol.99v A full-page illustration of the Virgin Mary in a blue robe, not crowned, and standing on a crescent moon. There is no halo, but She is surrounded by seven flaming rays in yellow on each side. Above Her head are twelve stars in red. Her figure supports a Crucifix, with a bearded Christ issuing from a blue cloud. Around the crucified figure are written in red: 'Humilitas', 'Sanctitas', 'Puritas', 'Castitas', 'Sobrietas', 'Karitas', 'Sapientia' (?). On the left-hand side of the Virgin, in black: 'Corona aurea sancte benedicte virginis ascensio cum XII stellis et alba diadema'. Below this 'Maria sancta en maystett'. In the lower margin, in red: 'Luna', 'Sol', 'Karitas', 'Castitas', 'Jupiter'. This is a very considerable variation from the two illustrations in Duveen's tenth plate, which in place of the crucified Christ shows a youth (Cupid?) crucified upon a fleur de lys. The Virgin here is also crowned and seated upon the crescent moon. Here too, there is no lettering. </li><pages><li>folio 141 A full-page illustration in colours of the androgyne 'Rebis', holding a plant in a chalice with one hand, and a serpent in the other. It stands upon two rocks, one black and one gold. At the sides are the plants Solaria and Lunaria. Below is a yellow dragon holding a red branch in its mouth. Besides the names of the two plants and of the dragon which are written against their pictures, the various parts of the figures have the names of the colours inscribed upon them 'rot', 'gel', 'alba', etc. This illustration corresponds very closely with Duveen's ninth figure, but as usual his picture has no lettering. </li><pages><li>folio 82v Small marginal drawing in red and black of an alchemical furnace with three flasks. This resembles Duveen's eighth plate, bottom left hand side. </li><pages><li>folio 67v A very rough circular diagram in red and black apparently illustrating the relation of the four Elements, the Planets and the Metals. Not in the Duveen MS. </li><pages>Owing possibly to the method of compilation, with all the additions and revisions, as also to the fact that some leaves are missing and others now bound or placed in wrong order, the collation and description of this MS. must necessarily be tentative. There is a running title in the upper margin relating to the Number of the Book, but this is not always given, and in some cases it has perished owing to the fraying of the leaves. An approximate division of the Books may be attempted: <pages>Book I. Ff. 7-30, 40-47, 65, 75-79, 148-150, 153, 188-191. <pages>Book II. Ff. 49-59, 75-79, 105-113. Book III. Ff. 31-39, 60-62, 66-74, 80-104, 114-147, 151-188, 192-end [?]. <pages>The dates given, which are not in any regular order, confirm the impression that the work was repeatedly revised and added to. It seems possible therefore that this MS. may be the unknown <pages>Author's original holograph draft of the Codex Germanicus 598 in the Staatsbibliothek at Munich. The full title of this is: 'Das Buch der heiligen Dreifaltigkeit und Beschreibung der Heimlichkeit von Ver?nderung der Metallen. Offenbahret anno Christi 1420'. In Duveen's other excursus on his 17th cent. French copy of this MS., published in The Library Fifth Series, Vol. I, pages 58-59, it is stated that a copy of the work was presented to the Emperor Sigismund when he was attending the Council of Constance [1414-1418] [Cf. Foleave 39 of our MS.]. <pages>The Wellcome Ulmannus MS. 'Libri tres sanctissimae et individuae Trinitatis' -a recension made in 1760, but without the illustrations-is probably a version of the present MS. in its completed form, and is stated to be 'Olim a manuscriptis Fratris Ulmanni anno Domini 1488 conscripti'. <pages>The present MS. is stated by its Author on Foleave 23v to be 'grundlich rotund alss eyn Ey'. Though this description hardly seems to fit the work in its present form, it is nevertheless a remarkable example of the mixture and alliance between practical and theoretical alchemical processes and an extreme religious and mystical outlook. The parallels made between the basic doctrines of the Christian faith, and the aims and working of the alchemical Quest, are at times surprising. <pages>Produced in Constance.

Buch, Das der heiligen Dreifaltigkeit.

1 volume 152 leaves folio. 34 1/2 x ; 24 cm On vellum. 17th century vellum binding. Some corners repaired: folios 1 and 150r somewhat rubbed.

Herbal.

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Lunaria

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Images about Lunaria

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MS.34

Collection of short alchemical works, extracts, notes, etc. in Latin. (Miscellanea Alchemica IV).

Herbals: 17th cent.

Buch, Das der heiligen Dreifaltigkeit.

Herbal.

Lunaria

Images from the collections

Images about Lunaria

Works from the collections

MS.34

Collection of short alchemical works, extracts, notes, etc. in Latin. (Miscellanea Alchemica IV).

Herbals: 17th cent.

Buch, Das der heiligen Dreifaltigkeit.

Herbal.

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