Details

Subjects:

Alchemy -- Early works to 1800.
Alchemy.
Pigments -- Early works to 1800.
Occultism -- Early works to 1800.
Occultism.
Pigments.

Form/Genre:

Codices.
Manuals (instructional materials)
Prescriptions.
Manuscripts, European.

Language:

English, with several leaves laid into the manuscript in French.

Summary:

Instructional manual with the first section discussing the transmutation of metals such as turning silver into gold (p. 7) and making iron brittle like glass (p. 28) as well as notes on perpetual motion (p. 42) and secret fire (p. 42-43). The second section includes many recipes for different types of varnish including one for tinting windows to prevent the sun from shining through them (p. 49) and one for sealing wax (p. 52). Subsequent sections include recipes for making pigments such as carmine (p. 53) and Prussian blue (p. 54, 69) and for making large pearls from small ones (p. 74). Also includes an alphabetical index (p. ii-xxvi).

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title from title page (p. i).
Pagination: Paper, 187 leaves; [xxvi], 1-75, [76-348]; contemporary pagination in ink, modern pagination in pencil, upper outer corners.
Script: Written in a cursive script in the hand of Charles Rainsford, with several leaves laid into the manuscript in a second hand.
Binding: Contemporary parchment.
Origin: Written in England in the second half of the 18th century.

Local notes:

Purchased with support from the B. H. Breslauer Foundation.

Penn Provenance:

Formerly owned by Charles Rainsford (British army officer, fellow of the Royal Society, and alchemist); bequeathed by Rainsford to Hugh Percy, Second Duke of Northumberland.
Owned by the 2nd through 12th Dukes of Northumberland, ms. 620, Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, 1809-2014 (bookplate, inside upper cover; stamps throughout).
Sold at auction at Sotheby's (London), 15 July 2014, as part of Lot 411.

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Codex 1703.

Contributor:

Rainsford, Charles, 1728-1809, former owner.
Northumberland, Hugh Percy, Duke of, 1742-1817, former owner.
Charles Rainsford Collection of Alchemical and Occult Manuscripts (University of Pennsylvania)

OCLC:

919003950

Web link:

Unique at Penn blog post