The Alchemy Craze in Medieval London
If you were living in London in the mid-15th century, you may have got caught up in the alchemy craze. The idea of turning base metals into gold and silver was seducing many people, including the King of England.
The Emerald Tablet and the Origins of Chemistry
A look at a mysterious medieval text and how it became an important text in the history of science.
New Medieval Books: Splendor Solis
A luxury edition comprising principles of an ancient field of knowledge, the tradition of which is very much alive. Perfect gift for philosophers, stone seekers and art lovers. Readers of Medievalists.net can get 15% off the price.
The way of obtaining the Grand Elixir : an edition of the ‘Tamyrtone’ text in BL Harley 1747
Take one quarter ounce of the sun and half an ounce of the moon, purified, and make of both of them thin metal filings. Then take an …
Medieval Manuscripts: Splendor Solis
If you ever wondered how to transform metals into gold, this is the manuscript for you. Splendor Solis takes us into the world of 16th-century alchemy, and does so with a series of magnificent full-page miniatures abounding with mysterious symbols.
From Academic Article to Fantasy Novel: Medieval Alchemy and The Alchemists’ Council
Cynthea Masson speaks about the relationship between her academic study of alchemy and the writing of her 2016 novel, “The Alchemists’ Council.”
The Getty Enchants with Alchemy Exhibits
Long shrouded in secrecy, alchemy was once considered the highest of arts. Straddling art, science, and natural philosophy, alchemy has proven key to both the materiality and creative expression embedded in artistic output, from ancient sculpture and the decorative arts to medieval illumination, and masterpieces in paint, print, and a panoply of media from the European Renaissance to the present day.
Caterina Sforza’s Experiments with Alchemy
She collected over four hundred alchemical, medicinal, and cosmetic recipes, and corresponded with other alchemical adepts about materials and laboratory techniques.
What is the Splendor Solis?
The most beautiful and well known illuminated alchemical manuscript in the world.
Pedlars and Alchemists in Friuli History of itinerant sellers in an alpine reality
This short review discusses about itinerant sellers in Friuli, who are Cramaro called (XI-XIX centuries). Attention is focused, in particular, on the question if some of theme were alchemists.
Depicting the Medieval Alchemical Cosmos: George Ripley’s Wheel of Inferior Astronomy
Alchemical writing often develops the idea of a physical or analogical correspondence between heaven and earth: a relationship most fre- quently and conveniently expressed by the use of the seven planetary symbols (Sol, Luna, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) to denote the seven metals (usually gold, silver, quicksilver, copper, iron, tin and lead respectively).
Visualization in Medieval Alchemy
Therefore, rather than attempting to establish an exhaustive inventory of visual forms in medieval alchemy or a premature synthesis, the purpose of this article is to sketch major trends in visualization and to exemplify them by their earliest appearance so far known.
The Rise of Alchemy in Fourteenth-Century England
However the alchemical source of the early fourteenth century also explicitly maintained that knowledge of the secret of secrets involved an understanding of the hidden forces within the earth, and this in turn would bring earthly power. The most obvious manifestation of this interest in alchemical secrets lay in the belief that controlled experimentation with mercury and sulphur could effect transmutation of base metals into gold.
Fools, Devils, and Alchemy: Secular Images in the Monastery
The fool is one of the most popular and stable character types throughout cultures and times. This is especially true of medieval Europe. The fool, sometimes a jester, sometimes a clown or a trickster, is always recognizable through his abnormal appearance.
Understanding the Language of Alchemy
The editing of medieval alchemical texts poses a number of challenges to the modern scholar.
Towards a Context for Ibn Umayl, Known to Chaucer as the Alchemist ‘Senior’
his article will present what we know of the life and times of an important alchemist, Ibn Umayl.
Harley MS. 3469: Splendor Solis or Splendour of the Sun – A German Alchemical Manuscript
Splendor Solis oder Sonnenglanz is the title of an illuminated manuscript that can rightfully be called one of the principal works of the alchemical tradition (fig. 1). The text survives in many witnesses dating from the early sixteenth to the nineteenth century, of which Harl. MS. 3469 is definitely the most famous and best preserved example.
The Magic of Image: Astrological, Alchemical and Magical Symbolism at the Court of Wenceslas IV
The Czech Renaissance man of letters Vaclav Hajek of Libocany explained the representations of kingfishers and half naked bathmaidens that he saw painted on some Prague buildings, as records of saucy affairs from the life of the King Bohemia Wenceslas IV.
Contributions of contemporary science to Chaucer’s work
The thesis shows that the Medieval Sciences made a significant contribution to Chaucer’s mind and art, and that Chaucer shared the attitude of great scholars before and after him
Technology and Alchemical Debate in the Late Middle Ages
The medieval world view was marked by a deep division between art and nature. Stemming partly from Aristotle, and partlyfrom other Greek, Latin, and Arabic sources, this view placed strict boundaries on the conceptual limits of technical innovation.