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The Library of Filippo Visconti

At begin of 15th century the library of the Visconti-family in Pavia had around 1000 books and was second in Europe to the library in Paris, which had been build by the French king Charles V. the Wise.

Here's a list of some relevant books from the 1426 inventory. This inventory and two later ones were edited by Elisabeth Pellegrin in her (still standard) study _La Bibliothèque des Visconti et des Sforza, Ducs de Milan au XVe Siècle_ Paris 1955. There is also a Supplement, 1969, with additional research and most importantly, interesting illustrations, examples of emblems, imprese, signatures, etc.. The numbers in the left before each book refer to the original numbering of the inventory from 1426.

MAGIC AND DIVINATION

203. Liber Iudiciorum et consiliorum (Alfodhol, Geomancy)
250. Iudicia (Michael Scot, Geomantia)
282. Ars Notoria
286. Ars Notoria
302. Sortes taxillorum (divination by dice)
820. De Lapidibus (Albertus Magnus)
836. Clavicula Salomonis
947. Treatise on interpretation of dreams (attributed to Solomon)
959. Sortes taxillorum
967. Nigromantia
968. Somnia (dreams, Ahmed ben-Sirin, translated by Leo Tuscus of Pisa)
978. Geomancy (with Astrology)

ALCHEMY

144. Hermes Alchimia *
982. Ars Artium (?)

*(Entry from Pellegrin (1955), p. 104.)

144. Albertus de mineralibus cum Hermete de alchimia, Vebere de
collectione secretorum nature et aliis pluribus
incipit : de commistione et coagulatione
et finitur : uulgi minimus imponantur et est copertus corio rubeo
hirsuto. sig. DCCCC XXX VIII.

Paris, Bibl. Nat. lat. 6514. XIIIth-XIVth c. A-D + 193 fol. of
Italian origin. This manuscript, which contains the De Mineralibus of
Albert the Great, the Liber lapidum of Marbode, alchemical treatises
of pseudo-Hermes, Geber, Razi, and other authors or anonymi, recipes,
etc. and ends with the Turba philosophorum (expl.: uulgi nummis
imponantur)  has been described in detail by M. J. Corbett [see
below].

A description of the contents of this ms. can be found in the list of
alchemical mss. in the Bibliothèque Nationale at Adam McLean's
Alchemy website, number 2149 -

2149. Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale MS. Lat. 6514.
A-D + 193 folios. Parchment. 360x252mm. 13th - 14th Centuries.

1. f1-32 Albertus Magnus de mineralibus.
2. f33-37 Marbodus, de lapide pretiosis.
3. f39-40v Liber Hermetis de Blchkmkb. [Tabula Smaragdina with
commentaries. Singer No. 26.]
http://www.levity.com/alchemy/emerald_latin.html
http://www.levity.com/alchemy/hortulan.html
http://www.levity.com/alchemy/emerald.html
(note especially Steele and Singer's translation from 12th century
Latin, the third one on the page)
4. f40v-41v Incipit liber XII aquarum. [Singer No. 1063.]
5. f41v-51 Incipit liber sacerdotum. [Singer No. 499.]
6. f53v-55v Compendium Geberi.
http://www.levity.com/alchemy/geberdis.html
7. f61-83v Incipit liber Yeber de summa colectionis complementi
oculte secretorum nature. Prohemium perfectionis in arte. [Singer No.
105.]
8. f86-87v Liber magni hermetis et philosophie et triplicis magistri.
[Singer No. 86v.]
http://www.levity.com/alchemy/goldtrac.html
9. f86v Incipiunt expositiones super verbis heremetis secundum
opinionem Raazi. [Singer No. 26.]
10. f86v Expositio merellyeris a Flandron. [Singer No. 28.]
11. f87 Expositio Maakin ad Flandion.
12. f87v Sermo de lapide maiori in quo consistit perfectio.
13. f88-101 Quartum Platonis quartum stollicarum.
14. f101v-112v Incipit liber secretorum de voce bubacaris magum et
filii cetari arrau, quod in se continet VIII libri. [Singer No. 116.]
15. f103-120v Incipit liber Raxis qui dicitur lumen luminum magnum.
[Singer No. 113.]
16. f120v-125 Hic est liber utiliorum qui dicitur lumen luminum et
perfecti magesterii editus per Rasis. [Singer No. 114.]
17. f125r-v Incipit liber Rasis de aluminibus et salibus que in hac
arte sunt necessaria. [Fragment.] [Singer No. 117.]
18. f126-129 Rogerius Bacon, Breve Breviarum. [Singer No. 191.]
19. f129-131 Incipit liber Alithy, filii Jacinth in opere alkaraico
ad muca. [Singer No. 111.]
20. f131-133 Liber trium verborum edictus per rudianum. [Singer Nos.
43, 44, and 122.]
21. f133-135 Hic est liber methaurorum Alphidii philosophi. [Singer
No. 144.]
22. f135-137v Incipit liber Morieni, philosophi ad regem Kalid.
[Singer No. 66.]
23. f144-171v Incipit liber Abuhali Abvicine de anima. [Singer No.
123.]
24. f174-186v Incipit liber Geber summa collectionis complementi
secretorum nature.
http://www.levity.com/alchemy/geberdis.html
25. f187-191v Hic liber incipit qui dicitur turba philosophorum.
[Singer No. 1.] [Corbett No. 6.]
http://www.levity.com/alchemy/turba.html
http://www.levity.com/alchemy/turba2.html

[references to - Corbett, J.A.
Catalogue des manuscrits alchimique latins. (2 vols.)
Paris 1939-51
- Singer, D.W.
Catalogue of  Latin and Vernacular Alchemical Manuscripts in Great
Britain and Ireland, Dating from before the Sixteenth Century. (3
vols.)
Brussels 1928-31]

ASTROLOGY AND ASTRONOMY

  49. Al-Ghazali
112. Astronomia (Michael Scot)
246. Magnis conjunctionibus (Albumasari Florum)
247. Astrologia (Campanus de Novare)
248. Guido Bonatti
249. Tractatus de vero motu
250. Iudicia (Michael Scot, Astronomia)
251. Ptolemy and Hermes (Alzarqali)
252. Arzachel Tabula in astologia (trans. Gérard de Cremona)
253. Signorum celi (Petrus Diel)
256. Ptolemy Planisphere
287. Isagogicum astrologicum (Alchibizio)
288. Tabula medicorum lunam
289. Alkindi
290. Alfragnanus inter alii
291. Tractatus de elementis et signis celi
292. Almagest
293. Introductorius ad iudicia stellarum (Guido Bonatti)
294. Isagoge Epitome totus Astrologiae (Iohannis Hyspanensis)
409. Algorismus (Scarabosco)
410. Tabula Toletanae
455. Almansoris (Rasis)
930. Astrologie
971. Astrology (Alfregnanus)
973. Astrology
978. Astrology (with Geomancy)
980. Ars Signorum (Astrologia of Campanus de Novare)
986. Astrologie figura

ART OF MEMORY

  39. Nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii (Martianus Capella)
121. Nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii (Books I and II)
129. Ars Memorativa super tota philosophia (Ramon Lull)
139. De virtutibus intellectualibus (unidentified work)
181. Fulgentius on the Seven Liberal Arts
444. De Nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii

ALLEGORY AND MYTHOLOGY

  45. Saturnalia (Macrobius)
Biography and description
  83. Sintillarum/Mythologia (Albericus)
(identified as: Alberic of London [fl. 1200]
  • —–, Poetarius siue Scintillarium poetarum: pr. Paris 1520; ed. A. Mai, Mytho- graphus tertius de diis gentium et illorum allegoriis,Classiciauctores e Vaticanis codicibus 3 (Rome 1831), 161–277; Sharpe, Latin Writers, 35.
  • A28.3 (‘Alexfacus de diis gentilibus’)
  • BA1.1148j (‘sintillarium poesis’)
  • F26.14 (‘Abritius de origine deorum’),
  • F35.3 (‘Alexandri \Necham/ Mythologicon’)
  • FA8.490n (anon.), 507d (anon.)
  • K4.21 (‘scintillarium poetarum uel methologias’, attrib. Nequam), K37
101. Allegoriae in Ovidius Metamorphoses
162. Modi significandi
(??? Martin of Dacia ???)
(??? Thomas von Erfurt, ca. 1310 ???)
Modistae in Wikipedia
195. Allegoriae librorum Ovidii Metamorphoseos
384. Genealogiae Deorum Gentilium (Boccaccio)
411. Image du Monde
(??? Gautier de Metz 1246 ???)
596. Allegoriae in Vetus & Novum Testamentum (Richard de Saint Victor)
640. Saturnalia (Bks. I,II & VII)
725. Significatio celi et terre (Allegoriae de Richard de St. Victor)
769. Liber de fato (Francesco de Caronellis)
NOT IDENTIFIED

PROPHECY AND VISIONS, APOCRYPHA

  16. Prophetia (Telesphorus de Cusentia)
103. Visions of the Cistercian Monks
271. Gospel of Nicodemus
312. Prophecies of Merlin (Richard of Ireland?)
670. Prophetia Iochin (attr. Joachim of Fiore)
671. Vision of Isaiah (apocryphon)
702. De mistico somno Nabuchadenasor (Richard de Saint Victor)
724. Prophecia Iochin (Joachim of Fiore)
970. XIII Revelationibus


composed by Ross Gregory Caldwell