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Libra Esoterica

[Alchemical compilation]

by Ibrāhīm Ḥusaynī

  • First published:
  • 15th century
  • Language: Arabic
  • Content type: ManuscriptPrimary source
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Description

Description from Colenda Digital Repository — University of Pennsylvania Libraries (opens in a new tab)

Working notes of an alchemist, who signs himself as the compiler and composer of the manuscript (f. 127v). Lacking at least one leaf at the beginning, if not more (early pagination begins at 2, f. 1r), with repairs on extant first and last leaves. Includes a commentary on an unknown text and references to the concept of balance found in the work of 8th-century alchemist Jābir ibn Ḥayyān and to Pythagoras. Many marginal notes.

Provenance

Why this book is in the catalog

Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Alchemy and Hermeticism.

  • Alchemy and Hermeticism

    Controlled discovery queries from colenda matched “Alchemy”. Retained metadata contains “alchemist” in the description, “Alchemy” in the subject metadata, and “alchemist” in the edition notes.

    • “Alchemy”· via Colenda Digital Repository — University of Pennsylvania Libraries
    • “alchemist”· in description
    • “Alchemy”· in subject
    • “alchemist”· in edition notes

Membership records how this book met the catalog’s discovery criteria — relevance to a tradition, not a judgment of the book’s claims.

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Editions

One edition cataloged here.

University of Pennsylvania digitized manuscript

173 leaves : paper ; 153 x 98 (115-130 x 65-80) mm bound to 158 x 115 mm; Alchemist whose workshop was near the Bab al-ʻIrāq (Iraq Gate) in Herat.; Arabic.; Binding: Rebound in reddish-brown leather without boards and a flap that covers the fore-edge, but does not extend over the textblock.; Decoration: Rubrications and overlining in red ink.; Foliation: Paper, i + 173; [1-173], modern foliation in pencil, upper left recto; earlier pagination in ink, 2-347 (f. 1v-173v). References in this record are to modern foliation.; Lawrence J. Schoenberg & Barbara Brizdle Manuscript Initiative.; Layout: Written in 15-24 long lines.; Ms. codex.; Origin: Written in Herat, now in Afghanistan in A.H. 901-904 (1496-1499) by Ibrāhīm al-Ḥusaynī (colophons, f. 7r, 23r, 37r, 38r, 47r, 127v, 173r).; Script: Written in nastaʻlīq script in black ink; pointed.; Title supplied by cataloger.

1496—Arabic—Public download

Subjects

2 subject headings

Identifiers & provenance

How this record was assembled, and the authority identifiers it carries.

Identifiers

Colenda
  • ark:/81431/p3pv6b75s

Cataloged from

Cataloging notes

  • Colenda collection: Lawrence J. Schoenberg Collection (University of Pennsylvania)
  • Penn Libraries catalog identifier: 9950814943503681
  • Physical location: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Manuscripts, LJS 403
  • Provenance: Deposit by Lawrence J. Schoenberg and Barbara Brizdle, 2011.; Formerly owned by ʻAbd al-Razzāq al-Mūsawī (stamp, f. 6v).; Gift of Barbara Brizdle Schoenberg, 2019.; Mūsawī, ʻAbd al-Razzāq, former owner.; Sold by Sam Fogg Ltd. (London) to Lawrence J. Schoenberg, Feb. 2001.
  • Rights: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0
Catalog id
colenda:81431-p3pv6b75s
Edition coverage
Colenda source record
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