Bidspirit auction | [HISTORY] - TREVISANUS Bernardus (1406

[HISTORY] - TREVISANUS Bernardus (1406 - 1490) - The Philosophers’s Stone - Bernardus Trevisanus. ”Von der Hermetischenn Philosophia, das ist, von dem Gebenedeiten Stain der Weisen. Der hocherfahrnen und fürtreflichen Philosophen, Herren Bernhardi, Grauen von der Marck, und Teruis ein Buch. Item Dicta Alani, darinn alles hell und klar an tag geben wird.” Straßburg, C. Müller (Mylius), 1574. 8vo, (160x100 mm), later stiff vellum with handwritten title to spine, ff. [100]. Extremely rare first German edition of Trevisan’s hermetic philosophy regarding the alchemical process for creating philosophers’ stone. The work first appeared in Latin in 1567 with the title Peri Chemeias. Bernard Trevisan was a fictional Italian alchemist who lived from 1406-1490. It is said that he was born into a noble family in Padua and spent his entire life spending his family fortune in search of the Philosopher’s stone. He also has been identified with Eberhard von der Marck-Aremberg (1305-1387), a law graduate and clergyman, who became chorbishop of Cologne. According to the legendary account on his life, he worked with minerals and natural salts using distillation and crystallization methods borrowed from Geber and al-Razi. When these failed, he turned to vegetable and animal material, finally using human blood and urine. He gradually sold his wealth to buy secrets and hints towards the stone, most often from swindlers. He traveled all over the known world, including the Baltics, Germany, Spain, France, Vienna, Egypt, Palestine, Persia, Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus, to find hints left by past alchemists. His health had been deteriorating, most likely from the fumes he had created with his alchemy. He retired to the Island of Rhodes, still working on the Philosopher's stone until his death. Condition: A very fine copy. References: Muller 608, 21; Ferguson I, 101; Brüning, 477 (diese sehr seltene erste deutsche Ausgabe) and see Brüning 382: «Die Alchemie des Bernhard (1406-90) wird von Peuckert u.a. als 'vorparacelsisch' bezeichnet, da sie die reine Schwefel-Quecksilber-Theorie als Basis hat, die ja die 'Chymische Hochzeit' illustriert. Mit Paracelsus kommt dann noch das ‘Sal’ als ein Drittes hinzu». VD 16, B 2011. IA 117.641. •⁠> This lot is located in and ships from the UK. No export license is required for values under £65,000; above this threshold, a UK export license will be needed. Import duties and taxes in the destination country are the buyer's responsibility.