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Liber de consideratione quintae essentiae omnium rerum

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Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]181 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19717-5267

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Delaware Library Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Call Number:
Item 0014
Repository:
University of Delaware Library Special Collections
Extent:
1 volume ([52 leaves], last leaf blank)
Language:
Latin
Preferred Citation:
MSS 0095, Item 0014, Johannes de Rupescissa, Liber de consideratione quintae essentiae omnium rerum, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.
Date:
1400-1499 (inclusive)
Creator:
Johannes, de Rupescissa, approximately 1300-approximately 1365
Form:
Manuscripts (documents), Illuminated manuscripts, Illuminations (visual works), and Versals
Abstract:
This unattributed fifteenth-century manuscript copy of Johannes de Rupescissa's alchemical medical textDe consideratione quintae essentiae rerum omniumcomprises 52 leaves on parchment, likely the work of more than one scribe.

Johannes de Rupescissa (approximately 1300-1365), also known as Jean de Roquetaillade, was a French Franciscan monk who authored visionary books and two works on alchemy.

"Johannes, de Rupescissa, approximately 1300-approximately 1365." Library of Congress Authorities. http://lccn.loc.gov/n90674617 (accessed March 30, 2015).

This unattributed fifteenth-century manuscript copy of Johannes de Rupecissa's alchemical medical text

De consideratione quintae essentiae rerum omnium comprises 52 leaves on parchment, likely the work of more than one scribe.

When compared with the printed Basileae edition (1561), this manuscript has a different (incomplete) preface and lacks the appended works by Arnauldus de Villanova ("De sanguine humano distillato") and Ramon Llull (multiple works). The printed editions held in Special Collections (1561 and 1597) also contain contributions from the editor, Guglielmo Gratarolo. The author of the preface of the manuscript copy is not identified.

The script is a small gothic rotunda by one scribe; each page comprises about 27 lines. An illuminated initial "D" in 5 lines using gold ink and colors (green, red, blue), starts the main text. Other embellishments include later ink foliation, some marginalia, penwork initials, alternating red and blue versals, and paragraph marks.

The volume is bound in a modern cloth binding. Leaves [59-51] contain a fragment of Michele Savonarola's "De aqua vitae."

The item is accompanied by two dealers' descriptions: one in German, the other Italian.

Item 0014: Shelved in SPEC MSS 0095 vault

Printed texts of

De consideratione quintae essentiae rerum omnium are held in Special Collections: a 1561 edition (R128.6 .J63x 1561) and a 1597 edition (R128.6 .J63x 1597).

Purchased with support from the Unidel Foundation, 1968.

Processed and encoded by Maureen Cech, March 2015.

This item forms part of MSS 0095 Scientific and Humanities Manuscript Collection.

This item forms part of the Unidel History of Chemistry Collection.

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Publisher
University of Delaware Library Special Collections
Finding Aid Author
University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
Finding Aid Date
2015 March 30
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/

Collection Inventory

Liber de consideratione quintae essentiae omnium rerum, 1400-1499.
Item 0014
Physical Description

1 volume

Print, Suggest