Physical Description:
1 roll (6 membranes) : parchment ; 3,247 x 392 mm. Notes:
Parchment, roll of 6 membranes. 196 lines of verse. Written in
England in the second half of the sixteenth century. A number of
other rolls with variations of this text and with similar
illustrations were produced around the same period. Written in an
italic script, badly rubbed in some areas. Four large illustrations
in ink and watercolor, ca. 760 mm. in height. In the first (process
for the White Stone), Aristotle (?) holding a large retort within
which are 8 circles containing monks looking at human figures in
glass bottles, each bottle being linked by a chain to a circle
containing 2 men holding a book. In the second picture (process for
the Red Stone), a fountain supported by a column held by one of 3
naked figures standing in a pool; 7 philosophers stand on pinnacles
around the fountain, in which a naked man and woman are eating
grapes from a vine; on the base of the fountain is a green dragon
with a frog jumping from its mouth; below it, “The Red Lyon”
and “The Grene Lyon” warm their paws at a fire. In the third
picture (process for the Elixir of Life), the white bird of Hermes
standing on a globe, eating its wing. In the fourth, a sun above a
creascent moon which is held in the mouth of a dragon standing on a
winged globe; inside the sun are 3 linked circles identified as
“the white stone,” “the red stone” and “the Elixir
vitae.” Below the winged globe, the final verses written on a
scroll held by a king and a pilgrim (representing George Ripley?).
NOTE 1. [Richard Carpenter?] Of the Sunne take the light/ The red
Gum that is so bright/ And the Moone doe allsoe/ The white gum
there keepe to & But in the Matrix wher the bee put/ Looke never
the vessell bee unshut/ Till they haue ingendred a Stone/ In all
the woorld is not such a one. NOTE 2. [George Ripley? First block
of text, 36 verses:] On the ground there is a hill/ Allso a Serpent
in a well & Of the white Stone and the red/ Here truly is the very
deede. [Second block, 40 verses:] [Take thy] father that phebus soe
bright/ [That] sit so highe in Maiestie & Sum behinde & some
before/ As philosephers there him gaue. [Third block, 12 verses:]
In the sea withouten lees/ Stoude the Byrd of Hermes & Vnderstand
now well A Right/ & thancke God of this Sight. [Fourth block, 38
verses:] I Shall Now tell without Leesinge/ hou & what is My
Generation & And make them All thre but one/ Loe here is the
philosephers Stone. NOTE 3. In the name of the Trinitie/ Harke here
and ye shall see&All maner Good men in his Degree/ Amen amen
for Charitie. NOTE Belonged to C. W. Dyson Perrins (1864-1958).
Acquired by the Subjects:
Ripley, George, -1490? ; Alchemy -- Early works to 1800. Form/Genre:
Scrolls (Information artifact) England 16th century. (aat) ;
Manuscripts England 16th century. (aat) Provenance:
Belonged to C. W. Dyson Perrins (1864-1958). Acquired by the
Huntington Library from Sothebys, 9 December 1958, lot 42 with a
plate of the upper part of the second picture, showing the
fountain. Cataloging Notes:
View full catalog description on the Digital Scriptorium:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/digitalscriptorium/huntington/HM30313.html
Rights
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