Segreti di alchimia e medicina

A foliation in pencil, has been added. Written by several late 15th cent. and early 16th cent. hands. The last part contains pen-drawings of wood-turning machines, etc. Some headings in red in the first section. There are interpolated alchemical, chemical and technical receipts by several early 16th cent. hands. On fol. 166 is a section beginning 'La pratica del turno' which is illustrated by pen-drawings. On fol. 171, under the heading of 'Mediolano', the writer states that he arrived in Milan 'a di 17 de agusto e fermame con petro bernado 1513'. He goes on to say that on September 1 'uidi li fornelli da tragetare ed el sigrito dabutar la remula'. There are some rough pen-drawings of apparatus, but the remainder of this section seems to be lost. The date 1482 is found on fol. 173v, and 1484 on the verso of the next leaf. These are headings to accounts by what seems to be the earliest hand. The water-marks on ff. 72-end are Briquet, No. 3662 (Scissors) assigned to Genoa 1438, and No. 2651 (Basilisc) assigned to Lucca 1477. The first 71 ff. contain different and apparently later water-marks.On fol. 59v is a 'Ricetta per la renella del Corte, Eccellentissimo Medico' (i.e. Matteo Corti [1475-1542]). The title used here is that inscribed on the spine. Produced in [Florence?].

Contents:

1. ff. 1-22. Ricette et secreti di alchimia: In Italian throughout. It contains chemical and technical receipts for colours, etc. By an early 16th cent. hand.

2. ff. 22-30. Alchemical receipts: In Italian and Latin. By a different and later hand, c. 1550.

3. ff. 31-52. Miscellaneous receipts: In Italian and Latin. By two different early 16th cent. hands. The receipts are medical, cosmetic, veterinary and technical.

4. ff. 52v-68 69-71. Medical and technical receipts: In Italian. Partly by the same hand as (1), but ff. 62-67 are by a different, but contemporary hand.

5. ff. 72-end. Miscellaneous receipts: In Italian and Latin. This section is the earliest part of the volume, and seems to have been originally written by a Florentine physician or apothecary in the last quarter of the 15th century. These receipts are mainly medical.

c. 1480-1550

1 volume 8 bl. ll. + 175 ff. + 5 bl. ll. 8vo. 14 x 101/2 cm. 17th cent. limp vellum binding. Leaves are wanting after fol. 68 and fol. 159: ff. 159/160 and 163/164 are pasted together. Some leaves at the end are damaged, and repaired on the inner margins, and many are damp-stained. The leaves are probably bound in wrong order and some are wanting.

The papers are available subject to the usual conditions of access to Archives and Manuscripts material, after the completion of a Reader's Undertaking.

Purchased 1929.

Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973).

This item needs to be accessed in our conservation studio. Email library@wellcomecollection.org to request an appointment.