Signature c6v
Folio 22r, Quire c
Biblioteca degli Intronati, Siena — O.III.38
HIGH Unverified
Biblioteca degli Intronati, Siena — O.III.38
HIGH Unverified
Alchemical Analysis
Bacchus and Demeter: The Chemical Wedding Encoded
Poliphilo views a Greek epigram: 'to the blessed Mother, the Goddess Venus, and to her Son, Amor, Bacchus and Demeter have given of their own substances.' Hand E cuts directly to the alchemical meaning: 'Bacchus et Ceres [Demeter] id est sol et luna' -- Bacchus and Demeter ARE Sol and Luna. Hand D elaborates that 'Bacchus was believed by the ancients to be that hidden virtue which helps plants to produce mature fruits.' But for the alchemist, the mythological pairing encodes the chemical wedding -- the union of masculine (Sol/gold) and feminine (Luna/silver) principles that produces the philosopher's stone.
Element: Sol/Luna identified as Bacchus/Demeter
Process: Chemical wedding; union of masculine and feminine metals
Framework: pseudo-Geber: mythological coding of the Great Work
Russell, pp. 187-188
LLM-assisted synthesis from Russell
Alchemical Symbols Present
| Symbol | Metal | Planet | Gender | Hand | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luna | Silver (Argentum) | Moon | feminine | Hand E | HIGH |
| Sol | Gold (Aurum) | Sun | masculine | Hand E | HIGH |
| Sulphur | Brimstone | masculine | Hand E | HIGH |
Annotations
MARGINAL_NOTE (1)SYMBOL (2)
Hand E: Anonymous (pseudo-Geber (Jabir ibn Hayyan)) Alchemist
Symbol
“to the blessed Mother,
the Goddess Venus, and to her Son, Amor, Bacchus and Demeter have given of their own
substances”
be in place. .
Detail, (b7r)
The annotator praises Geber’s ‘ingenium subtile’ (subtle ingegno), establishing that the
discussion of what follows will take place within a Geberian framework. These would be
essential virtues in the task of an alchemist, whose work might involve distilling the same
substance many hundreds of times. The statues of the crowned man and woman on the
leaves that follow then easily commend themselves to reading along the lines of Geber. For
instance, on ...
Russell, PhD Thesis, p. 187 (Ch. 7)
Hand E: Anonymous (pseudo-Geber (Jabir ibn Hayyan)) Alchemist
Symbol
“to the blessed Mother,
the Goddess Venus, and to her Son, Amor, Bacchus and Demeter have given of their own
substances”
be in place. .
Detail, (b7r)
The annotator praises Geber’s ‘ingenium subtile’ (subtle ingegno), establishing that the
discussion of what follows will take place within a Geberian framework. These would be
essential virtues in the task of an alchemist, whose work might involve distilling the same
substance many hundreds of times. The statues of the crowned man and woman on the
leaves that follow then easily commend themselves to reading along the lines of Geber. For
instance, on ...
Russell, PhD Thesis, p. 187 (Ch. 7)
Hand E: Anonymous (pseudo-Geber (Jabir ibn Hayyan)) Alchemist
Symbol
“Bacchus et Ceres [Demeter] id est sol et luna”
177
Detail, (c6v)
E writes ‘Bacchus et Ceres [Demeter] id est sol et luna’. Hand D elaborates, equating
Bacchus with the principle of growth, ‘Baccho era creduto dagli antichi esser quella virtù
occulta che aiuta le piante a forza de produrre in maturi frutti.’
E found ample expression of the Sol and Luna duality in the human chess match held at
Queen Eleutherylida’s palace (g8r-g8v). E also described the game as a ‘chorea
elegantissima’ that was ‘festivamente iocando.’ (g8r).
...
Russell, PhD Thesis, p. 188 (Ch. 7)
Hand E: Anonymous (pseudo-Geber (Jabir ibn Hayyan)) Alchemist
Symbol
“Bacchus et Ceres [Demeter] id est sol et luna”
177
Detail, (c6v)
E writes ‘Bacchus et Ceres [Demeter] id est sol et luna’. Hand D elaborates, equating
Bacchus with the principle of growth, ‘Baccho era creduto dagli antichi esser quella virtù
occulta che aiuta le piante a forza de produrre in maturi frutti.’
E found ample expression of the Sol and Luna duality in the human chess match held at
Queen Eleutherylida’s palace (g8r-g8v). E also described the game as a ‘chorea
elegantissima’ that was ‘festivamente iocando.’ (g8r).
...
Russell, PhD Thesis, p. 188 (Ch. 7)
Hand Primary: Anonymous
Marginal Note
“d3r: micropsycho > .l. pusilanimo”
nt of the book. If two annotators began a
collaborative enterprise, their energy, as would be expected, would be strongest at the outset.
b2r:
Siena: temeramente > temerariamente (Gloss: uel.Temerariamente)
Sydney: temerariamente
The Siena and Sydney annotators are not entirely consistent with one another.
a2r:
Siena: i(n)usitata uisio(n)e > inuisitata uisione. Siena mistakenly glosses this as ‘raro vista’.
Sydney:i(n)usitata uisio(n)e > ut inuisitate .l. [licet] inuisa
...
Russell, PhD Thesis, p. 236 (Ch. 9)
Hand E: Anonymous (pseudo-Geber (Jabir ibn Hayyan)) Alchemist
Symbol
“to the blessed Mother,
the Goddess Venus, and to her Son, Amor, Bacchus and Demeter have given of their own
substances”
be in place. .
Detail, (b7r)
The annotator praises Geber’s ‘ingenium subtile’ (subtle ingegno), establishing that the
discussion of what follows will take place within a Geberian framework. These would be
essential virtues in the task of an alchemist, whose work might involve distilling the same
substance many hundreds of times. The statues of the crowned man and woman on the
leaves that follow then easily commend themselves to reading along the lines of Geber. For
instance, on ...
Russell, PhD Thesis, p. 187 (Ch. 7)
Hand E: Anonymous (pseudo-Geber (Jabir ibn Hayyan)) Alchemist
Symbol
“to the blessed Mother,
the Goddess Venus, and to her Son, Amor, Bacchus and Demeter have given of their own
substances”
be in place. .
Detail, (b7r)
The annotator praises Geber’s ‘ingenium subtile’ (subtle ingegno), establishing that the
discussion of what follows will take place within a Geberian framework. These would be
essential virtues in the task of an alchemist, whose work might involve distilling the same
substance many hundreds of times. The statues of the crowned man and woman on the
leaves that follow then easily commend themselves to reading along the lines of Geber. For
instance, on ...
Russell, PhD Thesis, p. 187 (Ch. 7)
Hand E: Anonymous (pseudo-Geber (Jabir ibn Hayyan)) Alchemist
Symbol
“Bacchus et Ceres [Demeter] id est sol et luna”
177
Detail, (c6v)
E writes ‘Bacchus et Ceres [Demeter] id est sol et luna’. Hand D elaborates, equating
Bacchus with the principle of growth, ‘Baccho era creduto dagli antichi esser quella virtù
occulta che aiuta le piante a forza de produrre in maturi frutti.’
E found ample expression of the Sol and Luna duality in the human chess match held at
Queen Eleutherylida’s palace (g8r-g8v). E also described the game as a ‘chorea
elegantissima’ that was ‘festivamente iocando.’ (g8r).
...
Russell, PhD Thesis, p. 188 (Ch. 7)
Hand E: Anonymous (pseudo-Geber (Jabir ibn Hayyan)) Alchemist
Symbol
“Bacchus et Ceres [Demeter] id est sol et luna”
177
Detail, (c6v)
E writes ‘Bacchus et Ceres [Demeter] id est sol et luna’. Hand D elaborates, equating
Bacchus with the principle of growth, ‘Baccho era creduto dagli antichi esser quella virtù
occulta che aiuta le piante a forza de produrre in maturi frutti.’
E found ample expression of the Sol and Luna duality in the human chess match held at
Queen Eleutherylida’s palace (g8r-g8v). E also described the game as a ‘chorea
elegantissima’ that was ‘festivamente iocando.’ (g8r).
...
Russell, PhD Thesis, p. 188 (Ch. 7)
Hand Primary: Anonymous
Marginal Note
“d3r: micropsycho > .l. pusilanimo”
nt of the book. If two annotators began a
collaborative enterprise, their energy, as would be expected, would be strongest at the outset.
b2r:
Siena: temeramente > temerariamente (Gloss: uel.Temerariamente)
Sydney: temerariamente
The Siena and Sydney annotators are not entirely consistent with one another.
a2r:
Siena: i(n)usitata uisio(n)e > inuisitata uisione. Siena mistakenly glosses this as ‘raro vista’.
Sydney:i(n)usitata uisio(n)e > ut inuisitate .l. [licet] inuisa
...
Russell, PhD Thesis, p. 236 (Ch. 9)