Details

Subjects:

Magic -- Early works to 1800.
Magic.
Occultism -- Early works to 1800.
Occultism.

Form/Genre:

codices (bound manuscripts)
diagrams
drawings (visual works)
Manuscripts, Latin -- 18th century.
Manuscripts, European.

Language:

Latin, with transliterated Hebrew words.

Biography/History:

Jewish Italian engineer, mathematician, inventor, and archaeologist born in Mantua who served as engineer at the courts of noblemen such as Alfonso D'Este, Duke of Ferrara and authored works on mathematics, ciphers, and translated the Key of Solomon from Hebrew into Italian.

Summary:

18th-century Latin copy of the Key of Solomon, a 14th- or 15th-century magical handbook which includes instructions on subjects such as the conjuration of spirits (f. 11r), enchanting a piece of fruit with a love charm (f. 31v), extracting bat's blood (f. 104v), the preparation of ink, paper or parchment for magical practices (f. 105r), and the use of knives, swords, and wands (f. 96v). The text is divided into two books and contains a complete list of contents for each book (f. iii recto, 113r).

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title from title page (f. ii recto).
Foliation: Paper, 121; [iv], 1-5, 7-37, [ii], 38-81, [i], 82-114; contemporary foliation in ink, upper right recto. Catchwords lower right corners. Folio 6 has been torn out resulting in a loss of text.
Script: Written in a cursive script by at least two hands.
Decoration: Decorated title pages at the beginning of each book with yellow ink wash and an engraved frontispiece from an unidentified printed work pasted in (f. ii recto, 82r); 43 pen and ink pentacles with various magical symbols, words, and figures pasted onto red or yellow ink-washed pages; diagram of blades, lances, and wands to be used in ritual (f. 99r); partially ruled in red ink (f. 1r-28r).
Binding: Contemporary quarter leather with the remains of silk ties.
Origin: Written 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. 584, 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:

Abraham Colorni, Clavicula Salomonis Regis (Ms. Codex 1673). Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania.

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:

908145840

Web link:

Unique at Penn blog post