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Alchemy Academy archive
January 2001

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Subject: ACADEMY : Hautnorton
From: Susanna Åkerman
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2001

Does anyone know the story of Hautnorton, who signs in
as "suecus" ( a swede) from Livonia in 1656 (when Sweden
for some time had annexed Livonia to its Baltic realm) in the
German 'Musaeum Hermeticum' prefaced by Buddeus
history of alchemy from 1728. According to the Bibliotheca
Phiolosophica Hermetica he called himself "a son of
Sendivogius". http://www.ritmanlibrary.nl/silent-53.html

BPH identifies him with Johann Harprecht, who was this man?

I find it interesting that Hautnorton illustrates his alchemical poem
according to the BPH with a hermaphrodite above a lion
(of the North?), both important to Queen Christina of Sweden as
she abdicated in 1654. Could the notion of the hermaphrodite
have been alive in her early Stockholm years? The pseudonym
Hautnorton sounds like a Scottish adept with a German head.

Susanna Akerman

Subject: ACADEMY : Hautnorton
From: Adam McLean
Date: 5 Jan 2001

Dear Susanna,

I looked into Hautnorton when writing the short introduction
to my edition of the 'Hermaphroditische Sonn- und Monds-kind.
I didn't find any new informationabout Hautnorton but just
summarised what was available to me in secondary
sources.This is what I had to say there:

The work itself is ascribed to the "Unknown Philosopher and Adept
(L. C. S.)", but bibliographers of alchemy have not yet been able to
identify this person. The title page further indicates that the work
includes "explanations of verses by the famous Swedish Adept
Norton". John Ferguson and other bibliographers take this to be
a reference to Josaphat Friederich Hautnorton, the seventeenth-
century alchemical writer of 'Der Verlangte Dritte Anfang der
Mineralischen Dingen', Luycken, Amsterdam, 1657 which was
written by "Sonn Sendivogii, genant I.F.H.S." This work became
better known under the title 'Lucerna Salis Philosophorum',
issued in Latin a year later by Betkius, Amsterdam, 1658. The
historian of chemistry, Ole Borch, writing in the late 17th century,
claims these works were written by Johann Harprech, the son
of a professor at Tübingen. Later in the eighteenth century,
Roth-Scholtz, the compiler of the vast German compendium,
'Deutsches Theatrum Chemicum', 1728, ascribes these works
to Hautnorton, though indicating that the initials J.F.H.S.
"may denote Johannes, Filius, Harprechti, Svecus".

Adam McLean

Subject: ACADEMY : Hautnorton
From: Hereward Tilton
Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2001

Susanna:

I found a couple more small details, such as his life dates, in
Rafal Prinke's article from the Hermetic Journal at the alchemy
web site:

"It is quite probable that Sendivogius also visited the university
at Tubingen and may have met its students. In fact there is an
indirect proof that he was very popular there - some forty
years later several books were published by Johann
Harprecht (1610-1660) who called himself "Filius Sendivogii".
He was a son of the professor of law at Tubingen university
and, as Karl Schmieder in his 'Geschichte der Alchemie'
(Halle 1832) says, when he was a boy he always heard
conversations about Sendivogius and his transmutations
which made him devote himself to alchemy. Other authors
even say that he was Sendivogius's son-in-law but there
seems to be no proof of this, certainly very attractive, statement."

It seems that Schmieder's 'Geschichte der Alchemie' could
be a good lead for further information.

Hereward Tilton

Subject: ACADEMY : Hautnorton
Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2001
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Dear Susanna,

> Does anyone know the story of Hautnorton, who signs in
> as "suecus" ( a swede) from Livonia in 1656 (when Sweden
> for some time had annexed Livonia to its Baltic realm) in the
> German 'Musaeum Hermeticum' prefaced by Buddeus
> history of alchemy from 1728. According to the Bibliotheca
> Phiolosophica Hermetica he called himself "a son of
> Sendivogius". http://www.ritmanlibrary.nl/silent-53.html
> BPH identifies him with Johann Harprecht, who was this man?

Yes, most authors identify the two names - but I am not quite
convinced. It was Harprecht (or Hartprecht) who called himself
"filius Sendivogii" and the most recent original research on
him is the article by Joachim Telle:

"Zum 'Filius Sendivogii' Johann Hartprecht" [in:] Die Alchemie
in der europaeischen Kultur- und Wissenschaftgeschichte,
Wolfenbuetteler Forschungen, Bd. 32, Wiesbaden 1986,
p. 119-136.

I have read this article but don't remember the details
(I should have a copy somewhere). It is also shortly
discussed by Zbigniew Szydlo in 'Water which does not
wet hands' (esp. p. 147 and 154).

According to Telle, he was born in Erfurt, travelled much
around protestant Europe (including Livonia in 1656) and
finally arrived in England where he was in contact with
the Hartlib circle.

What does not convince me in the identification of the
apparently two persons is that "Suecus" part. Why should
a German from Erfurt call himself a Swede?

Szydlo considers the treatise on philosophical salt
as written by Sendivogius himself and only edited
by Hautnorthon (Hartprecht?). Some editions give only
the Cosmopolite as the author.

It is not clear whether the name "filius Sendivogii"
was intended to be taken literally or figuratively.
The latter is obvious as the text is in the Sendivogian
tradition - but there are some early accounts about
an illegitimate daughter that Sendivogius had in Germany
while others say that his daughter had some unpublished
treatises. So it cannot be entirely ruled out that
Hautnorthon married that daughter and published
the work - but then the obvious question is: why wasn't
it published in Latin or German - but in French?

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Hautnorton
Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2001
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Dear Adam,

> The historian of chemistry, Ole Borch, writing in the late
> 17th century, claims these works were written by Johann Harprech,
> the son of a professor at Tübingen. Later in the eighteenth century,

Unfortunately, this does not seem to be true - as shown by
Joachim Telle. I say "unfortunately', as that professor of law
was Johannes Harprecht (1560-1639) and his wife was
Maria Andreae (1560-1624), the aunt of none other than our
old friend Johann Valentin Andreae - sister of his father
Johannes Andreae (1554-1601).

> Roth-Scholtz, the compiler of the vast German compendium,
> 'Deutsches Theatrum Chemicum', 1728, ascribes these works
> to Hautnorton, though indicating that the initials J.F.H.S.
> "may denote Johannes, Filius, Harprechti, Svecus".

The life span of Johann Hartprecht (according to Telle) was
1610-1660/80.

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Argonautica
From: Jonathan S. Gilbert
Date: 06 Jan 2001

Does anyone know where to find an online copy of the
Argonautica in the original Greek? Perseus.org does not
have it, and the ritmanlibrary.nl site only posts one page
from their copy.

Thank you in advance,

J.S. Gilbert

Subject: ACADEMY : Hautnorton
Date: Sat, 06 Jan 2001
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Dear Hereward,

> I found a couple more small details, such as his life dates, in
> Rafal Prinke's article from the Hermetic Journal at the alchemy
> web site:

Yes, that is the traditional version - I did not know about
Joachim Telle's research when I was writing that article.

BTW: In my previous message I confused Hautnorthon's
'Tractat vom philosophischen Saltz' (which was first published
in German) with Nuysement's 'Tractatus de vero Sale' (which was
the one published in French and also attributed to Sendivogius).

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Hautnorton
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2001
From: Eugene Beshenkovsky

Dear Susanna,

This might help:

2. 'Lucerna Salis Philosophorum' etc - 'a J.F.H.S. filio Sendivogii,
cujus nomen dat hoc anagramma 'Sit! Pischon horti
Aeden tuto fruar' '. f8-89. Impress Amstelodami, 1658.

I also have a question: There was a book in a Russian Rosicrucian
Library which was burned in 1793.

3348. M-053 Sibersma Lehre der Weisheit - 1

[SIBERSMA, HERO, 1644-1728
Lehre der Wahrheit zur Erleuchtung Heyl und Trost der Seelen.
Stockholm: 1700]

Georgi, 4, 101.

Georgi (Allgem. Europ. Bucher-Lexicon) is the only one who mentions
this edition. I have not been able to find it anywhere else.

All the best,

Eugene Beshenkovsky

Sun Jan 07 18:10:59 2001

Subject: ACADEMY : Hautnorton

Date: Sun, 07 Jan 2001
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Dear Eugene,

> 2. 'Lucerna Salis Philosophorum' etc - 'a J.F.H.S. filio Sendivogii,
> cujus nomen dat hoc anagramma 'Sit! Pischon horti
> Aeden tuto fruar' '. f8-89. Impress Amstelodami, 1658.

I have tried to map this anagram to the suggested authors' names
with the following results:

Sit! Pischon horti Aeden tuto fruar

Josaphat Friederich Hautnort(h)on Suecus
iosAPhat friederich ***tnort(*)on Su**u*
letters left: t

Johann Har(t)prech
iohAnn har(t)Prec*t
letters left: Stisoiedtuofru

Johannes, Filius Harprechti, Svecus
iohAnneS, fi*ius harPrec*t*, *u****
letters left: otdttor

So it seems none of these fits the anagram - but then we cannot be
sure it really hides the true name of the author.

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Sibersma
From: Susanna Åkerman
Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2001

Dear Eugene Beshenkovsky,

You mentioned:

[SIBERSMA, HERO, 1644-1728
Lehre der Wahrheit zur Erleuchtung Heyl und Trost der Seelen.
Stockholm: 1700]

The book you mention is not in Kungliga Biblioteket, Stockholm
which has made online all of its holding (thanks to typing
labour in the Philippines!). In Uppsala UB however is the
largest collection of Swedish seventeenth century records
since there was a fire in 1693 in the Stockholm Royal castle
when the young Charles XII barely escaped with his family
and most of Sweden's medieval records were set aflame,
except the ones that was thrown out the windows from the
Royal archives. Thus many of these older books that have
survived have burning scorches.

Researching in Kungliga biblioteket with its many old
holdings is easy look up www.libris.kb.se for the research
catalogue in Sweden or www.kb.se for the internal catalogue.

Also a contemporary Czeck scholar (whose name I forget)
is thoroughly cataloguing the Prague booty in Sweden
from 1648 right now. Researching Uppsala (Carolina
Rediviva) is more cumbersome as the eighteenth century
catalogue of older holdings is not converted to internet. I
am going there on Tuesday (an hour by train and walk)
and will see what I can find.

A Swedish print from 1700 which is not catalogued will
create a stir in library circles here. Perhaps it is from Finland?
(which was part of Sweden then)

Best wishes,
Susanna Akerman

Subject: ACADEMY : Sibersma
Date: Sun, 07 Jan 2001
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Dear Susanna,

> Researching in Kungliga biblioteket with its many old
> holdings is easy look up www.libris.kb.se for the research
> catalogue in Sweden or www.kb.se for the internal catalogue.

Thank you for these links.

I think I have not mentioned that the whole collection
of old prints of the Kornik Library is also available
on-line. It has over 40,000 items printed before 1800.

The main page is at:

http://www.bkpan.poznan.pl/OLDPRINT/biblio0.html

As you will see, I have cooperated in setting it up.
There is no interface in English yet, but if you select
the left link ("Wyszukiwanie globalne"), you can then enter
either one or two strings to search (if one, it must be
in the left window).

There is no Sibersma book there - but some alchemical
books can be found.

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Hautnorton
Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2001
From: Rafal T. Prinke

I have found a bibliographic entry for 'Lucerna salis' in
the COPAC catalogue - for the copy in Leeds. It has a note:

Praefatio signed: "J.F.H.S. Filio Sendivogii," with anagram
(p. [24]), explained in the notes to the reader, p. 154 and
157, and expanded to "Iosaphat Fridericus Heutnortton"
(a pseud. for Johann Harprecht). Also attributed
to M. Sendivogius.

This form of the name indeed maps to the anagram perfectly:

Sit! Pischon horti Aeden tuto fruar
ioSAPhat fridericus heutnortton

It would be interesting to know what that note to the reader
says.

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Hautnorton
Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001
From: Eugene Beshenkovsky

Congratulations, Rafal

Here is another tract, which I found in VD17. It is also written
by a Sohn of Sendivogius (another one?) and also
attributed to Harprecht.

Harpprecht, Johann
Sudum philosophicum Pro secretis Chymicis perspiciendis.
Sive Duo Libelli concernentes famosum illum modernum
scriptorem Chymicum per Anagramma vocatum
Vah! Longus Verbo, Sed Nil Supra!
Quorum prior ex hibet seriem praecipuorum
eius secretorum ... ; posterior autem ostendit eiusdem
hallucinationem ... ,Ein, haiterer Philosophischer Tag. Umb
die Chymische Geheimnsse zu erkennen. Oder Zwey Büchlein
anlangend den itzig beschrienen Chymischen Scribenten
welches Nahmen dieses Anagramma begreiffet: So so! er
wil pur Geld naus habn
Authore: Thrasoniter nasuto heic fit pudor
S.l. :
1660
294 S.

bibliogr. Nachweis: Krivatsy (5266): danach Streitschrift auf
Johann Rudolph Glauber
Dt. Titel endet mit der Verf.-angabe ... Sohn Sendivogii, der
laut PND und Krivatsy (5266) als Pseudonym für Harpprecht
angegeben wird, mutma_l. ist auch Thrasonusein Pseudonym
dieses Verf.

Fingerprint: m-a- n,e- -"-" sani 3 1660A

Gattung/Fach: Streitschrift

Exemplar(e):

Id-Nr.: 39:143412D FLB Gotha
Sign.: Med 80 124b/3 (4)

There is another tract where he is called a 'Diener'of Sendivogius.

Many thanks for Sibersma,

Eugene Beshenkovsky

Subject: ACADEMY : Hautnorton
Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001
From: Adam McLean

Vah! Longus Verbo, Sed Nil Supra!

=

Johannes Rudolpus Glauber

Subject: ACADEMY : Sibersma
From: Susanna Åkerman
Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001

Dear Eugene,

I did not make progress on the Sibersma Lehre der Warheit
zur Erleuchtung Heyl und Trost der Seelen Stockholm 1700
at Uppsala but I was pressed for time as my HTML and ASP
course there was taking my attention. I spoke with Janis
Kreslins at Kungliga biblioteket who has been in contact
with you earlier. He said he had interviewed the editors of
the eighteenth century catalogue of Swedish prints and
they nor he could make no progress. I just found the
original of Hero Sibersma "Leere der warheid, in haar
vornaamste gronden gestelijk vergleken". 6th ed. Den
Haag 1699 at the koninklije bibliothek in the Hague and
Sibersmas "Das Wort des Lebens - Zur Erklärung und
Betrachtung des geistlichen und ewigen Leben" Frankfurt
am Main 1700 at UB Halle in the VB17. But these you
probably already know. I shall keep on looking in minor
catalogues like the De Geer libraries at Finspång and
Löfsta, but this will have to wait till I go next time - on
Monday 15th.

Susanna

Subject: ACADEMY : Hautnorton
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Dear Eugene,

> Here is another tract, which I found in VD17. It is also written
> by a Sohn of Sendivogius (another one?) and also
> attributed to Harprecht.

Thank you for this one. Excuse my ignorance - but what is VD17?
An on-line catalogue I do not know about?

> There is another tract where he is called a 'Diener'of Sendivogius.

Can you tell me the details? It seems to me that Sohn (son) and
Diener (servant) should be two different people .

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Hautnorton
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Adam has resolved the anagram:

> Vah! Longus Verbo, Sed Nil Supra!
> =
> Johannes Rudolpus Glauber

which makes it even more interesting. It is known that Glauber
corresponded with Sendivogius and perhaps even knew him
personally, so would have been justified in calling himself
his "Sohn".

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Sibersma
Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001
From: Eugene Beshenkovsky

Dear Susanna,

Many, many thanks! I also thought that it has been a German
translation published in Holland, but it is not listed in:
Brückner, J. A Bibliographical Catalogue of seventeenth-
century German Books published in Holland. The
Hague-Paris, Mouton,1971.

All the best,

Eugene Beshenkovsky

Subject: ACADEMY : International library catalogues VB17
From: Susanna Åkerman
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001

Dear Rafal,

Here is a secret of the trade:

Look up Uppsala UB's list of international library catalogues at

http://w3.ub.uu.se/katalog/bibkat2.cfm

or go to

www.ub.uu.se or
http://w3.ub.uu.se

and choose "bibliotekskataloger/Andra" to the left and
then "andra bibliotekskataloger på internet".

Or

http://w3.ub.uu.se/katalog/bibkat2.cfm

Here is a list of all thinkable (or on the web searchable)
libraries, in your case choose "geografisk indelning" and
Europa and then Tyskland for Germany and you will see
the VB17 among other useful things. VB 17 is a catalogue
of all seventeenth prints in German libraries. Its direct
address is

http://huygens.vd17.bsb.badw-muenchen.de/cgi-bin/webcon/vd17/vd17_vd17start

The VB 17 is perhaps not updated with Gilly's Rosicrucian
databank yet but is a very good thing, There is a paper version
also which you will not need any longer.

Susanna

Subject: ACADEMY : Glauber
From: Robert Palmer
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001

Zbigniew Szydlo, in his book on Sendivogius mentions
Glauber several times and writes of him:

"Johann Rudolph Glauber was another important chemist.
He prepared a vast number of new compounds, the most
famous of which was sodium sulphate, which he called
'sal mirabile' or the miraculous salt because of its healing
powers. Glauber died in 1670 at the age of 66, probably
as a result of accidentally poisoning himself in experiments
with mercury and arsenic."
-- WATER WHICH DOES NOT WET HANDS, page 16-17

Just thought you'd like to know, those who don't.

Robert

Subject: ACADEMY : Alchemical publishing in 16th Century
From: Dallas Simpson
Date: 14 Jan 2001

One of the authors that I've been working on as part of a PhD
in English is the 15th-century English alchemist, Thomas Norton.
What puzzles me is that Norton's work, the Ordinal of
Alchemy, although written in 1477 and very popular among
alchemists, is not printed in England until well into the 17th
century. (It circulated widely in manuscript prior to its
publication in print.) My suspicion is that there might have
been state prohibitions on the printing of such material in
England in the 16th century. The sources I've checked
regarding the history of English printing, however, haven't
addressed this rather specific issue.

Can anyone in the discussion group point me to a reference
either to confirm my suspicion or to provide an alternative
explanation?

Any advice would be very welcome.

Regards,

Dallas

Subject: ACADEMY : Hautnorton
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001
From: Eugene Beshenkovsky

Dear Rafal,

> Dear Eugene,
>
> > Here is another tract, which I found in VD17. It is also written
> > by a Sohn of Sendivogius (another one?) and also
> > attributed to Harprecht.
>
> Thank you for this one. Excuse my ignorance - but what is VD17?
> An on-line catalogue I do not know about?

Susanna answered. Be careful with Umlauts etc.

> > There is another tract where he is called a 'Diener'of Sendivogius.
>
> Can you tell me the details? It seems to me that Sohn (son) and
> Diener (servant) should be two different people .

Here comes the Diener:

Hollandus, Johann Isaac.Die Hand der Philosophen mit ihren verborgenen
Zeichen...
Frankfurt, Main : Götze, Thomas Matthäus,1667
Enth. außerdem: Ein überauß köstlicher Philosoph. Tractat Von Denn
Irrgängen der Alchymisten und Außführung von denselben / von Herrn
Michaelis Sendivogii Diener, dessen Author ohn Zweiffel Herr Sendivogius
selber ist [die Verfasserschaft des Sendivogius wird angezweifelt]

The 'Diener' reappears in 1746: Sammlung unterschiedlicher bewährter
Chymischer Schriften, namentlich Joh. Isaaci Hollandi Hand der
Philosophen...Wien : Krauß, 1746, containing the same tract with the
following 'von des berühmten Michael Sendivogii Diener herkommenden und
ohne Zweifel von Sendiuogo selbst verfasseten...

What bothers me here that 'Suecus' appears in the context of 'Hollandus'.

Also: "Tractat vom philosophischen Salz" with the name of Josaphat
Friedrich Hautnorton, sueci appears in the Hermetisches A.B.C. (1778)
without any attribution to Harprecht.

Best regards,

Eugene Beshenkovsky

Subject: ACADEMY : Glauber
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2001
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Robert Palmer wrote:

> Zbigniew Szydlo, in his book on Sendivogius mentions
> Glauber several times and writes of him:

There is a good biography of Glauber (including a mention
of his acquaintance with Sendivogius) in Westfall/Galileo
database at:

http://es.rice.edu/ES/humsoc/Galileo/Catalog/Files/glauber.html

- also via a link on Adam's site at:

http://www.levity.com/alchemy/biograph.html

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Sendivogius' letter
Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2001
From: Rafal T. Prinke

I have put the text and translation of a letter from Michael
Sendivogius to Vincenzo II Gonzaga, duke of Mantua
on the Web at:

http://hum.amu.edu.pl/~rafalp/HERM/SENDI/gonzaga.htm

It is interesting that he left some tincture to the duke and
asks him to send it back.

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Alchemical publishing in 16th Century
Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001
From: Ed Thompson

>My suspicion is that there might have
> been state prohibitions on the printing of such material in
> England in the 16th century. The sources I've checked
> regarding the history of English printing, however, haven't
> addressed this rather specific issue.

Dallas,

Have you tried Harold Love (1993) 'Scribal Publication in
17th-Century England'? There may be something in the
bibliography or text.

Good luck!

Subject: ACADEMY : Call for papers
From: Jan Backlund
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2001

CALL FOR PAPERS

The 3rd Interdisciplinary JOHN DEE Colloquium in University of Aarhus,
Denmark, December 8, 2001.

Papers are invited on John Dee, his work, his life and acquaintances,
and his reception in science- and cultural history as well as in
literary works related to occult symbolism.

The event is the continuation of the first meeting organised by
Stephen Clucas at Birkbeck College, London, in April 1995, and the
second organised by György E. Szõnyi at Jozsef Attila University,
Szeged, Hungary, in July 1998.

The Colloquium immediately follows the international conference:

Art and Alchemy
In University of Aarhus, Denmark, December 6-7, 2001.

Since the middle of the 20th century there has been an increasing
focus on the possibility that the enigmatic iconography of sixteenth
century painters like Bosch, Pieter Bruegel, Lorenzo Lotto and others
might be resolved with reference to a alchemical imagery. However
wellfounded or problematic those approaches might be, they have only
rarely been subject to serious criticism and discussion on the part of
art historians or scholars in the field of alchemy.

On the other hand, since the early 1980s attempts have been made by
historians of alchemy and hermeticism to map the outlines of what one
could call a 'history of the alchemical image', ranging from general
outlines and individual studies of manuscript illuminations and
drawings, to works on the alchemical woodcuts and engravings from the
16-18th centuries. Similar studies have been made by art historians on
the alchemist and his laboratory as a subject matter in paintings and
prints.

Concurrent with these attempts, there has also been attempts to
interpret modern art in alchemical terms (e.g. Marcel Duchamp, Joseph
Beuys and Anselm Kiefer), an approach which seems correspond to an
interest in alchemy on the part of modern and contemporary artists.
This renewed interest in alchemy from the artists' side is, maybe
symptomatic, parallel to the emergence of the non-figurative trends in
modernism. Thus the question of art and alchemy no longer seems to be
a question of iconography, but rather a question of materiality,
conceptuality or processuality.

However, in spite of the extensive scholarly work being done in
different contexts on the history of alchemy, it is still fair to say
that the visual aspect of alchemy has rarely been discussed in art
historical terms; and correspondingly, art history has only rarely
touched the - methodologically speaking - dangerous imagery of
alchemy.

The aim of this conference is therefore to bring together the two
disciplines: the history of alchemy and art history, and with the help
of both try to, if not answer, at least approach the problems outlined
above, which could tentatively be summarised in the following
paragraphs:

1) Is there a specific "alchemical iconography" in Medieval and Early
Modern times? And if so, how, and with wiartists' did make use of
alchemical iconography. 2) Is there a specific "alchemical
iconography" in Medieval and Early Modern times? And, if so, how, with
which implications and limitations, it might be approached
hermeneutically. 3) If the history of alchemical imagery is to be
regarded as a part of a general history of art, as a separate visual
tradition, or if the relationship is of an other character. In any
case the question arise by who the alchemical drawings, miniatures,
woodcuts, engravings, or (occasionally) paintings were made: by
professional artists, the alchemists themselves, or both? 4) If there
is a structural or functional affinity between modern art and alchemy.

For the conference we thus would like to welcome contributions in the
whole field of alchemical imagery, focusing on the visual history of
alchemy (from the early alchemical illuminations in Medieval and Early
Modern manuscripts to the emblematic prints from the 17th and 18th
centuries); on the interrelationship between art and alchemy; on
methods and problems of alchemical interpretations of art works; as
well as on the use of alchemy in modern and contemporary art.

Papers are welcome to both conferences, and it is further the ambition
of the organisers that the best papers are to be published.

Jan Bäcklund
Center for Cultural Research
University of Aarhus

Jacob Wamberg
Institute of Art History
University of Aarhus

Proposals for papers, ca. ½ of a normal page, are to be sent before
01.08.2001 Jan Bäcklund Center for Cultural Research Finlandsgade
28 DK- 8200 Aarhus N

Subject: ACADEMY : Recent biography of Dee
From: Eve Sinaiko
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2001

Can members of the Academy give me an opinion of
the quality of a recent book on John Dee? It is

The Queen's Conjurer: The Science and Magic of Dr.
John Dee advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, by Benjamin
Woolley, published by Holt.

Thanks very much,

Eve Sinaiko

Subject: ACADEMY : Alchemical publishing in 16th Century
Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001
From: Lauren Kassell

Dear Dallas,

In addition to Love, you might also look at David Carlson,
English Humanist Books, Writers and Patrons, Manuscript
and Print, 1475-1525 (Toronto, 1993) and Charles Webster,
'Alchemical and Paracelsian Medicine', in Webster (ed.)
Health, Medicine and Mortality (Cambridge, 1979)--this
charts C.16th alchemical MSS in England, implicitly arguing
against Debus' conclusions based on the evidence of print.
Neither of these will answer your question directly, but as far
as I know there was no official proscription on printing
such material.

Hope this is some help.

Best,

Lauren

Subject: ACADEMY : Alchemical publishing in 16th Century
Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001
From: Peter Grund

Dear Dallas,

Here are two references that might be of interest to you:

Hirsch, Rudolf. 1978. "The Printed Word: Its Impact and
Diffusion" (esp. ch. 10 "The Invention of Printing and the
Diffusion of Alchemical and Chemical Knowledge").
London: Variorum Reprints. Geoghegan, D. 1957. "A Licence
of Henry VI to Practise Alchemy". Ambix VI: 10-17.

Best wishes,

Peter Grund

Subject: ACADEMY : French TV Channel - alchemy night
Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001
From: Pierre Stibia

J'ai le plaisir de vous informer que la chaine française Arte va
diffuser ce soir mardi 16 janvier un spécial Thema sur l'Alchimie.

A 21h45 : un documentaire d'Axel Clévenot
(France, 2000-1h25mn)
Direction artistique : Victoria Poynder
Infographie : Ronan Jupin
Musiques : Frédéric Chaslin, Jean Holtzmann
Coproduction : ARTE France, Tanguera Films. Rediffusions
sur les bouquets numériques CanalSatellite, TPS ou via un
récepteur numérique classique sans abonnement les 20 et
31.01.

Par la transmutation du plomb en or, l'alchimiste veut percer
les mystères de la vie, de la nature, de la matière. À travers
un voyage aux bords de la Méditerranée, berceau de
l'alchimie occidentale, ce documentaire retrace l'histoire
d'une science mystérieuse de l'Antiquité à nos jours.
Quatre alchimistes d'aujourd'hui nous font partager leurs
expériences. Robert Delvarre, cadre dans une grande
entreprise, poursuit ses recherches depuis trente ans. Tout
comme Santiago Jubany, éditeur, qui reproduit dans son
laboratoire les recettes ancestrales consistant à imiter l'or.
Bernard Biebel, lui, étudie et recopie des livres anciens
traitant d'alchimie. Helmut Gebelein, professeur de chimie
à l'université de Giessen en Allemagne, a étudié l'histoire
de l'alchimie, démarche nécessaire pour comprendre
l'histoire des sciences et des idées.

La matière mise à nu. Sortie du fond des âges, l'alchimie
semble aujourd'hui appartenir au passé. Il est vrai que cette
ambiance de feu, de cornues et de grimoires a de quoi faire
douter les scientifiques. Pourtant, les alchimistes sont les
héritiers d'une tradition millénaire et à l'origine de
découvertes dont a hérité la science moderne. Si la chimie
a désormais supplanté son "ancêtre" dans l'analyse de la
matière, l'alchimie a encore de nombreux adeptes,
passionnés par son aspect mystique que la science
moderne ignore. Exégèse du monde, l'alchimie considère
les expériences physiques comme autant de métaphores.
Au Moyen Âge par exemple, la découverte par des moines
alchimistes d'un cinquième élément, l'éther, permet de
penser l'existence d'un spiritus mundi, quintessence du
monde. Ce qui différencie l'alchimie de notre physique-chimie
actuelle est le facteur moral : la science pose la question du
comment quand l'alchimie pose celle du pourquoi. À partir de
nombreux documents d'époque, animés à l'aide d'une
remarquable infographie, ce documentaire très complet livre
les secrets fondamentaux d'une pratique mystérieuse.

A 23h15 PARACELSE

G. W. Pabst (Loulou) évoque la vie de Paracelse (1493-1541),
médecin visionnaire qui versa aussi dans la magie.

(Paracelsus)
Film de Georg Wilhelm Pabst
(Allemagne, 1943-1h39mn) - Noir et blanc, VOSTF
Scénario : Kurt Heuser
Avec : Werner Krauß (Paracelse),
Mathias Wieman (Ulrich von Hutten),
Harald Kreutzberg (le jongleur), Annelise Reinhold (Renata),
Martin Urtel (Johannes)
Photographie : Bruno Stephan
Musique : Herbert Windt
Production : Bavaria. Rediffusions sur les bouquets numériques
CanalSatellite, TPS ou via un récepteur numérique classique sans
abonnement les 23 et 29.01.

Le début du XVIe siècle. Médecin et alchimiste suisse,
Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim,
passé à la postérité sous le nom de Paracelse, doit lutter contre
l'obscurantisme pour imposer sa théorie.
Pour lui, les maladies sont provoquées par des agents
extérieurs qui peuvent être neutralisés par des substances
chimiques...

L'alchimiste malgré lui Né à Einsiedeln (Suisse), Paracelse
obtint un diplôme de médecine, probablement à Vienne, puis
voyagea beaucoup pour accroître ses connaissances sur
l'alchimie, et plus particulièrement sur la minéralogie. Il critiqua
vivement la théorie scolastique dérivée des écrits du médecin
grec Galien, selon laquelle les maladies sont le résultat d'un
déséquilibre des humeurs, ou liquides corporels, et qu'elles
peuvent être guéries en effectuant des saignées et des
purges. Persuadé que la maladie agressait l'organisme
de l'extérieur, Paracelse mit au point des remèdes minéraux
et chimiques grâce auxquels, pensait-il, le corps se défendrait.
Il identifia de nombreuses maladies, telles que le goître et la
syphilis, et utilisa divers ingrédients, comme des composés
de sulfure et de mercure, pour les traiter. À l'origine de nombre
de ses remèdes, une conviction : le traitement du mal par le
mal, et, à cet égard, Paracelse fut un précurseur de
l'homéopathie. Bien que ses ouvrages soient parsemés
d'éléments de magie, son scepticisme par rapport aux
préceptes médicaux anciens contribua à faire évoluer la
pensée de l'époque. (Encarta)

Pour en savoir plus :

http://www.arte-tv.com/cgi/prog/fprgjour?date=0.3&vecteur=DPF

Subject: ACADEMY : Glauber thesis
From: Robert Palmer
Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001

Does anyone out there have a copy of or access to a
doctoral thesis written by Kathleen Winnifred Fowler called
'Johann Rudolph Glauber: a Study of Animism in 17th
Century Chemistry'? I believe it was published by the
University of Michigan in 1972.

Subject: ACADEMY : Call for papers
Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001
From: ME Warlick

Dear Jan,

Regarding the Art and Alchemy Conference, can you
provide a fax number or email address where one could
send a proposal?

Thanks,

M.E. Warlick

Subject: ACADEMY : Call for papers (corrected)
From: Jan Backlund
Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001

CALL FOR PAPERS

The 3rd Interdisciplinary JOHN DEE Colloquium in University
of Aarhus, Denmark, December 6-7, 2001.

Papers are invited on John Dee, his work, his life and
acquaintances, and his reception in science- and cultural
history as well as in literary works related to occult symbolism.

The event is the continuation of the first meeting organised by
Stephen Clucas at Birkbeck College, London, in April 1995,
and the second organised by György E. Szõnyi at Jozsef
Attila University, Szeged, Hungary, in July 1998.

The Colloquium immediately precedes the international
conference:

Art and Alchemy
In University of Aarhus, Denmark, December 7-9, 2001.

Since the middle of the 20th century there has been an
increasing focus on the possibility that the enigmatic
iconography of sixteenth century painters like Bosch, Pieter
Bruegel, Lorenzo Lotto and others might be resolved with
reference to alchemical imagery. However well founded
or problematic those approaches might be, they have only
rarely been subject to serious criticism and discussion
on the part of art historians or scholars in the field of alchemy.

On the other hand, since the early 1980s attempts have been
made by historians of alchemy and hermeticism to map the
outlines of what one could call a 'history of the alchemical
image', ranging from general outlines and individual studies
of manuscript illuminations and drawings, to works on the
alchemical woodcuts and engravings from the 16-18th centuries.
Similar studies have been made by art historians on the
alchemist and his laboratory as a subject matter in paintings
and prints.

Concurrent with these attempts, there have also been attempts
to interpret modern art in alchemical terms (e.g. Marcel
Duchamp, Joseph Beuys and Anselm Kiefer), an approach
which seems to correspond to an interest in alchemy on the
part of modern and contemporary artists.
This renewed interest in alchemy from the artists' side is,
perhaps symptomatically, parallel to the emergence of the
non-figurative trends in modernism. Thus the question of art
and alchemy no longer seems to pertain only to iconography,
but also to materiality, conceptuality or processuality.

However, in spite of the extensive scholarly work being
done in different contexts on the history of alchemy, it is still
fair to say that the visual aspect of alchemy has rarely been
discussed in art historical terms; and correspondingly, art
history has only rarely touched the - methodologically
speaking - dangerous imagery of alchemy.

The aim of this conference is therefore to bring together the
two disciplines: the history of alchemy and art history, and
with the help of both try to at least approach, if not answer,
the problems outlined above, which could tentatively be
summarised in the following paragraphs:

1) Is there a specific "alchemical iconography" in Medieval
and Early Modern times? And if so, how, and with which
implications and limitations might it be approached
hermeneutically?
2) Why did Medieval and Early Modern artists make use
of alchemical iconography and what was their intention (if any?)
3) Is the history of alchemical imagery to be regarded as
a part of a general history of art, as a separate visual tradition,
or as something else? In any case the question arises of who
made the alchemical drawings, miniatures, woodcuts,
engravings, or (occasionally) paintings: professional artists,
the alchemists themselves, or both?
4) Is there a structural or functional affinity between modern art
and alchemy?

For the conference we welcome contributions covering the
whole field of alchemical imagery, emphasis on the visual
history of alchemy (from the early alchemical illuminations in
Medieval and Early Modern manuscripts to the emblematic
prints from the 17th and 18th centuries), on the interrelationship
between art and alchemy, on methods and problems of
alchemical interpretations of art works; as well as on the use
of alchemy in modern and contemporary art.

Papers are welcome to both conferences, abstracts of
about 1 page should be sent before 1 August 2001 to Jan
Bäcklund, Center for Cultural Research, 8200 Aarhus N.,
Denmark, with specification of audiovisual requirements.
The length of the paper should be a maximum 30 minutes,
including 10 minutes of discussion. Please specify home
address and (if any) e-mail and/or address of your institution.

The conference fees are DKK 750 (Art & Alchemy), DKK 650
(Dee) or DKK 950 (both), which includes costs of administration,
lunch during the conference days, conference dinner
(Saturday) and coffee and refreshments during the conference.

A preliminary program will be sent when the proposals for
papers have been accepted. Together with the program
follows information on payment of fees, hotels and dinner.
It is further the ambition of the organisers that the best papers
are to be published.

Further information is available from:

Jan Bäcklund
Center for Cultural Research
University of Aarhus
Finlandsgade 28
8200 Aarhus N
e-mail
phone: (+45) 89 42 44 84 or: 89 42 44 64
fax: (+45) 86 10 82 28

Jacob Wamberg
Department of Art History
University of Aarhus
Langelandsgade 139
e-mail

Subject: ACADEMY : Newton and Sendivogius
From: Susanna Åkerman
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001

Rafal Prinke wrote a while ago, adding he had no access
to Betty Dobbs' books;

"I would be interested to know which of the Newton's
alchemical MSS are connected to Michael Sendivogius
(comments, copies, remarks)".

I have taken a look at Dobbs' the 'Janus face of Genius', where
Dobbs mentions that Newton was fascinated with A. T.
Limojon, Sieur de St. Didier and especially his 'Le triomphe
hermetique ou la pierre victorieuse' 1689. Newton compared
its frontispiece with its three signs for Aries, Taurus and Gemini
to the spring zodiacal signs "which thing is also signified in
Cosmopolites Aenigma by Rams and bulls kept in pasture
by two boys". He also went on to compare his excerpts from
Limojon with "d' Espagnet, Sendivogius, Basilius Valentinus,
the authors of Manna and thesaurus thesaurorum, Pearce
the black monk, Aristotle, Hermes, Theodorus Mundanus,
Elucidorius, (Christopher the Parisian), the figures of
Abraham the Jew, John de Monte Snyders, and the author
of the Institutio de arbore solari."

This is in a manuscript that is covered to 34 percent with
excerpts from Limojon and is called "The method of ye work"
Sotheby lot no. 17, Kings College Cambridge, Keynes Ms. 21.
This is all she mentions about Sendivogius in this book.
Probably there is more.

Susanna Akerman

Subject: ACADEMY : Crasselame
From: Susanna Åkerman
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001

Betty Dobbs in her 'The Janus Face of Genius' on Newton's
alchemy states that 'La lumiere sortant de soi meme en
tenebres', or 'Lux obnubilata suapte natura refulgens' by
the pseudonym Fra Marc-Antonio Crasselame Chinese
is deciphered as an anagram in a manuscript at the
Bibliotheque National Paris as "Otto Tacchenio chilense
stormoso" thus indicating Otto Tacchenio, author of
Hippocrates Chimicus, Venice 1666. This is in line with the
attribution in many libraries, according to Dobbs. However,
Mino Gabriele in his edition (1980) of the 'Lux obnubilata'
(dedicated to Fredrik III of Denmark) argues with a note
from 1721 that it was written by Marchese Francesco
Maria Santinelli, this is also confirmed by Anna Maria
Partini in her edition of his 'Sonetti alchimici' (1985),
among which the "Carlo V" with Santinellis affirmation
"la mia Rose Croce aurea fortuna" occurs (Canto V:89).
Newton comments at length on the 'Lux obnubilata', which
fills an appendix in Dobbs' book.

Susanna Akerman

Subject: ACADEMY : Newton and Sendivogius
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Dear Susanna,

> Rafal Prinke wrote a while ago, adding he had no access
> to Betty Dobbs' books;

Thank you for your precious information. I have since
got hold of Dobbs' first book 'Foundations of Newton's
Alchemy' so I wondered what (if anything) she says
in 'Janus'.

> This is in a manuscript that is covered to 34 percent with
> excerpts from Limojon and is called "The method of ye work"
> Sotheby lot no. 17, Kings College Cambridge, Keynes Ms. 21.
> This is all she mentions about Sendivogius in this book.
> Probably there is more.

There is much more in 'Foundations' - a separate chapter
on Sendivogius and Newton and a list of his alchemical
manuscripts (including Keyes 55 "Sendivogius Explained").

Best regards,

Rafal