Alchemical Hands in the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili

Why It Matters for the Hypnerotomachia

Some of the most important marginal annotations in the BL copy appear on versos facing significant woodcuts on the following recto. The verso-recto relationship creates a visual dialogue between reader annotations and printed images.

Why It Matters in Scholarship

Verso annotations are frequently positional responses to facing-page content. Russell documents how the BL alchemist placed alchemical ideograms on versos adjacent to woodcuts that depicted allegorically significant scenes.

Key Passages / Evidence

• ... letters and a handful of woodcut illustrations, and I am unaware of any detailed comparisons of the two editions. Here are some preliminary observations I have made. While the 1545 edition... [Word_Image_2015_apr_03_vol_31_iss_2_Farrington_Lynne_Though_I_could_lead_a_quiet]
• ... : Leu- chotoe4 dal proprio patre impiamente occisa, in tenere cortice et mobile fronde et proclinabonde virge le candide et puellare carne mutava. Nella quadratura quarta si monstrava la... [Avesani et al. (Colonna studies)]
• ... gallante,4 sciuri inquieti et somnochiosi glyri, gli feroci alicorni et tragope et tragelaphi ;s omni specie leonina sencia alcu­ na frammea, ma ludibondi ; gii collosi gyraphi, celere gavielle6... [Avesani et al. (Colonna studies)]

Source Documents

Avesani et al. (Colonna studies); Canone & Spruit (emblematics); Word_Image_1998_jan_vol_14_iss_1_2_Bury_John_Chapter_III_of_the_Hypnerotomachia; Word_Image_2015_apr_03_vol_31_iss_2_Farrington_Lynne_Though_I_could_lead_a_quiet