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Catalogue: Alchemy - Gallery

Volume 1 folio 1b of Kitāb al-Burhān fī asrār ‘ilm al-mīzān (Proof Regarding the Secrets of the Science of the Balance) by al-Jaldakī featuring the illuminated opening in gold, black, red, green, and blue ink. The paper is ivory and lightly glossed. The text is written in a large Maghribi script using black ink, with significant words in gold (outlined in black) or in red, green or blue. The text is written within frames of blue, black, and gold fillets. These frames are then set within larger frames formed of two fine black lines with gold between.

MS 7, vol. 1,fol. 1b

Volume 1 folio 155b of Kitāb al-Burhān fī asrār ‘ilm al-mīzān (Proof Regarding the Secrets of the Science of the Balance) by al-Jaldakī featuring a schematic diagram in the form of a pan-balance in gold, black, red, green, and blue ink. The paper is ivory and lightly glossed. The diagram is drawn within frames of blue, black, and gold fillets. These frames are then set within larger frames formed of two fine black lines with gold between.

MS A 7, vol. 1,fol. 155b

Volume 1 folio 170a of Kitāb al-Burhān fī asrār ‘ilm al-mīzān (Proof Regarding the Secrets of the Science of the Balance) by al-Jaldakī featuring the illuminated colophon in gold, black, red, green, and blue ink. The paper is ivory and lightly glossed. The text is written in a large Maghribi script using black ink, with significant words in gold (outlined in black) or in red, green or blue. The text is written within frames of blue, black, and gold fillets. These frames are then set within larger frames formed of two fine black lines with gold between.

MS A 7, vol. 1, fol. 170a

Volume 2 folio 173a of Kitāb al-Burhān fī asrār ‘ilm al-mīzān (Proof Regarding the Secrets of the Science of the Balance) by al-Jaldakī featuring an elaborate multi-colored table in gold, black, red, green, and blue ink. The paper is ivory and lightly glossed. The table is drawn within frames of blue, black, and gold fillets. These frames are then set within larger frames formed of two fine black lines with gold between.

MS A 7, vol. 2,fol. 173a

Volume 5 folio 1b of Kitāb al-Burhān fī asrār ‘ilm al-mīzān (Proof Regarding the Secrets of the Science of the Balance) by al-Jaldakī featuring the illuminated opening in gold, black, red, green, and blue ink. The paper is ivory and lightly glossed. The text is written in a large Maghribi script using black ink, with significant words in gold (outlined in black) or in red, green or blue. The text is written within frames of blue, black, and gold fillets. These frames are then set within larger frames formed of two fine black lines with gold between.

MS A 7, vol. 5,fol. 1b

Volume 7 folio 72a of Kitāb al-Burhān fī asrār ‘ilm al-mīzān (Proof Regarding the Secrets of the Science of the Balance) by al-Jaldakī featuring a schematic table in the form of a pan-balance in gold, black, red, green, and blue ink. The paper is ivory and lightly glossed. The table is drawn within frames of blue, black, and gold fillets. These frames are then set within larger frames formed of two fine black lines with gold between.

MS A 7, vol. 7,fol. 72a

Volume 7 folio 132b of Kitāb al-Burhān fī asrār ‘ilm al-mīzān (Proof Regarding the Secrets of the Science of the Balance) by al-Jaldakī featuring an elaborately decorated diagram in gold, black, red, green, and blue ink. The paper is ivory and lightly glossed. The diagram is drawn within frames of blue, black, and gold fillets. These frames are then set within larger frames formed of two fine black lines with gold between.

MS A 7, vol. 7,fol.132b

Folio 395b, the final folio of Ghāyat al-surur fi sharh dīwān Shudhūr al-dhahab (The Acme of Pleasure in the Commentary on the Poems 'Nuggets of Gold'), a commentary by al-Jaldakī featuring the colophon. The lightly-glossed paper varies from an ivory to a dark-beige and even brown, all of it having fine vertical laid lines and single chain lines. The text is written in a medium-small naskh script using a brown-black ink.

MS A 14, fol. 395b

Folio 37a from MS A 33 which begins the treatise Tafsīr al-Malāghim (Explication of Amalgams) attributed to Jābir ibn Ḥayyān. The thin, ivory paper has vertical laid lines and single chain lines. The paper is damp-stained and darker near the edges, with considerable water-damage at the top inner corner. The text is written in a large naskh tending to ta‘liq script using black ink with headings in a tomato-red. The text area is frame-ruled.

MS A 33, fol. 37a

Folio 147a from MS A 147a which begins the alchemical treatise Kitāb al-Sirr al-asrār (The Secret of Secrets) by Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakarīyā' al-Rāzī. The thin, ivory paper has vertical laid lines and single chain lines. The text is written in a large naskh tending to ta‘liq script using black ink with headings in a tomato-red. The text area is frame-ruled.

MS A 33, fol. 147a

The back cover of MS A 33 which is bound in an 18th or 19th -century Persian/Turkish binding of brown leather over pasteboards with an envelope flap. Both covers have a blind-stamped large scalloped mandorla panel stamp whose decoration on the inner field has a central flower in full bloom and interweaving vines with full blown and smaller flowers and leaves. There are two small pendants blind-stamped with a single flower-bud. The covers also have blind-tooled frames formed of simple fillets either side of a narrow guilloche roll.

MS A 33, binding

Folio 80b of Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Anṣārī's Sharḥ Shudhūr al-dhahab (Commentary on the poems 'Nuggets') featuring alembic or still-head (lower illustration) and a metal alembic with boiling vessel, illustrated in the right margin. The very glossy, thin, biscuit paper has thin vertical laid lines and single chain lines. The text is written in a medium-small naskh script, using black ink with headings in red and red overlinings. The text is written within a frame of single red ink lines.

MS A 65, fol. 80b

Folio 81a of Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Anṣārī's Sharḥ Shudhūr al-dhahab (Commentary on the poems 'Nuggets') featuring stylized illustrations of three alembics with cucurbits occuring within the text. The very glossy, thin, biscuit paper has thin vertical laid lines and single chain lines. The text is written in a medium-small naskh script, using black ink with headings in red and red overlinings. The text is written within a frame of single red ink lines.

MS A 65, fol. 81a

Folio 81b of Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Anṣārī's Sharḥ Shudhūr al-dhahab (Commentary on the poems 'Nuggets') featuring distillation equipment illustrated in the right margin. The very glossy, thin, biscuit paper has thin vertical laid lines and single chain lines. The text is written in a medium-small naskh script, using black ink with headings in red and red overlinings. The text is written within a frame of single red ink lines.

MS A 65, fol. 81b

Folio 83b of Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Anṣārī's Sharḥ Shudhūr al-dhahab (Commentary on the poems 'Nuggets') featuring a glass alembic or still-head illustrated in the right margin. The very glossy, thin, biscuit paper has thin vertical laid lines and single chain lines. The text is written in a medium-small naskh script, using black ink with headings in red and red overlinings. The text is written within a frame of single red ink lines.

MS A 65, fol. 83b

Folio 84a of Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Anṣārī's Sharḥ Shudhūr al-dhahab (Commentary on the poems 'Nuggets') featuring an upper marginal illustration shows a retort resting in a brick furnace, while the lower one shows a rather complex brick furnace in the left margin. The very glossy, thin, biscuit paper has thin vertical laid lines and single chain lines. The text is written in a medium-small naskh script, using black ink with headings in red and red overlinings. The text is written within a frame of single red ink lines.

MS A 65, fol. 84a

Folio 84a of Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Anṣārī's Sharḥ Shudhūr al-dhahab (Commentary on the poems 'Nuggets') featuring an upper marginal illustration shows a retort resting in a brick furnace, while the lower one shows a rather complex brick furnace in the left margin. The very glossy, thin, biscuit paper has thin vertical laid lines and single chain lines. The text is written in a medium-small naskh script, using black ink with headings in red and red overlinings. The text is written within a frame of single red ink lines.

MS A 65, fol. 148a

Folio 148b from MS A 65 which beginning folio from al-Tughrā’ī's Miftāh al-hikmah (The key of Wisdom). The very glossy, thin, biscuit paper has thin vertical laid lines and single chain lines. The text is written in a medium-small naskh script, using black ink with headings in red and red overlinings. The text is written within a frame of single red ink lines. There are notes in the right and bottom margins.

MS A 65, fol. 148b

Folio 1b from MS A 70 which begins the alchemical treatise Kitāb al-Sirr al-sārr wa-sirr al-asrār (The Book of the Secret of Joy and the Secret of Secrets) attributed to Jābir ibn Ḥayyān. The biscuit, fibrous paper has a nearly matte finish. The text is written in a small, compact naskh script using black ink with headings and overlinings in red.

MS A 70, fol. 1b

Folio 20b from MS A 70 which begins the alchemical treatise Kitāb al-Iḥqāq min sab‘īn (The Book of Seventy Truths) by Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakarīyā’ al-Rāzī. The paper is a biscuit, fibrous paper having a nearly matte finish. The text is written in a small, compact naskh script using black ink with headings and overlinings in red.

MS A 70, fol. 20b

Folio 21a from MS A 70 which is the second folio from the alchemical treatise Kitāb al-Iḥqāq min sab‘īn (The Book of Seventy Truths) by Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakarīyā’ al-Rāzī. The paper is a biscuit, fibrous paper having a nearly matte finish. The text is written in a small, compact naskh script using black ink with headings and overlinings in red.

MS A 70, fol. 21a

Folio 22a from MS A 70 which on the lower half is the beginning of Kitāb al-Hirmīs (The Book of Hermes), an untitled alchemical treatise attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. The upper half contains the end of an alchemical treatise by al-Rāzī titled Kitāb al-Iḥqāq min sab‘īn. The biscuit, fibrous paper has a nearly matte finish. The text is written in a small, compact naskh script using black ink with headings and overlinings in red.

MS A 70, fol. 22a

Folio 29a from MS A 70 in which the upper half of the page has the end of a treatise Kitāb al-Rāhib by Jābir ibn Ḥayyān, while the lower half is the beginning of an extended extract from Aristotle's Meteorologia. The biscuit, fibrous paper has a nearly matte finish. The text is written in a small, compact naskh script using black ink with headings and overlinings in red.

MS A 70, fol. 29a

Folio 38a of MS A 70 which features the beginning of a treatise titled Kitāb Aghāthādhimūn (The Book of Agathodaimon). The paper is a biscuit, fibrous paper having a nearly matte finish. The text is written in a small, compact naskh script using black ink with headings and overlinings in red. There are several notes in the left margin.

MS A 70, fol. 38a

Folio 39 of MS P 27 which features the colophon for a copy of the alchemical treatise Kitāb Nihāyat al-ṭalab fī sharḥ Kitāb [al-‘ilm] al-Muktasab dar zirā‘at-i dhahab (The End of the Search regarding the Commentary on the Book 'The Acquisition [of Knowledge] Concerning the Cultivation of Gold'). The beige paper is nearly matte-finished. The text is written in a medium-small naskh script. There is a note in the top left corner margin.

MS P 27, fol. 39a

Folio 51a from MS A 7 which is a folio from an untitled alchemical essay (Risālah) attributed to the 7th-century Umayyad prince Khālid ibn Yazīd. The paper is a biscuit, fibrous paper having a nearly matte finish and dyed a light gray. The text is written in a small, compact naskh script using black ink with headings and overlinings in red.

MS A 70, fol. 51a

Folio 57b from MS A 70 which begins Kitāb al-Sirr al-Maknūn (The Book of the Hidden Secret) attributed to Jābir ibn Ḥayyān. The paper is dyed a light gray color. The text is written in a small, compact naskh script using black ink with headings and overlinings in red.

MS A 70, fol. 57b

The lower cover and flap of MS A 7 featuring of red leather over pasteboards with envelope flaps. On the cover this is a deeply-impressed mandorla panel stamp whose inner field is filled with interlaced vines with flower-buds. The mandorla has a double gold-painted outline of shallow scallops; the points come together at the base of a bouquet of three small flowers from which a balustrade line extends to the frame. The frame is a tooled and gold-painted band of twisted double lines, and at each corner there is a stamped and gold-painted flower-bud. A similar frame occurs on the envelope flap, with a much smaller ovoid panel stamp. The fore-edge flap has a gold-stamped diaper pattern either side of an elongated cartouche.

MS A 7,lower cover

The lower cover and flap of MS A 14 with a central panel stamp of shallow-scalloped ovoid outline with two small pendants. There are also blind-stamped corner panels whose inner field is decorated in the same manner as the central panel, with twisted and tied cloud ribbon forms with vine work studded with flower heads (probably carnations). These deeply-impressed blind stamps are framed by blind-tooled fillets either side of a string of small circles; similar frames decorate the fore-edge flap. The envelope flap is decorated with similar corner panels and frames and one small stamp identical to one of the pendants on the covers.

MS A 14, binding

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