Details

Subjects:

Occultism -- Early works to 1800.
Tarot (Game) -- Early works to 1800.
Tarot (Game).
Occultism.

Form/Genre:

Manuscripts, English.
Manuscripts, European.

Language:

English, with occasional words in Hebrew and Greek.

Summary:

English translation by Charles Rainsford of French text on the history and use of tarot cards for divination by Antoine Court de Gébelin.

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title from title page (V. 1, p. v).
Pagination: V:1: Paper, 188 leaves; [vi], 1-290, 201-278, [ii]. V.2: Paper, 180 leaves; [ii], 1-174, [i], 1-55, 55-182. V.3: Paper, 130 leaves; [iv], 1-246, [x]. V.4: Paper, 196 leaves; [x], 1-76, 72-87, 87-110, 1-4, 4-141, [cxxiv]. Contemporary pagination in ink, upper outer corners.
Script: Written in a cursive script.
Decoration: Several pen and ink diagrams throughout (for example, V. 3, p. 212); pencil drawings of tarot figures (V. 2, p. 175; V. 3, p. 150).
Binding: Contemporary parchment. Moderate to severe moisture damage has made the paper very fragile and the text illegible in many places. Volume 4 has severe moisture damage to paper and many leaves are stuck together.
Origin: Written in Lymington, 2 September 1793 (V. 2, p. 174) and Gibraltar, 28 February 1794 (V. 3, p. 346) and 25 July 1795 (V. 4, p. 110, 141).

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. 604-607, Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, 1809-2014 (bookplate, inside upper covers; stamps throughout).
Sold at auction at Sotheby's (London), 15 July 2014, as part of Lot 411.

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Codex 1692.

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:

917533076

Web link:

Unique at Penn blog post