"Frater Basilius Valentinus, monk of the Benedictine order and Hermetic philosopher": imaginary portrait in the frontispiece from Chymische Schrifften, 1717[1]
The Peterskirche, Erfurt, as it appeared in 2007

Basil Valentine is the Anglicised version of the name Basilius Valentinus, ostensibly a 15th-century alchemist, possibly Canon of the Benedictine Priory of Saint Peter in Erfurt, Germany but more likely a pseudonym used by one or several 16th-century German authors.

According to John Maxson Stillman, who wrote on the history of chemistry, there is no evidence of such a name on the rolls in Germany or Rome and no mention of this name before 1600.[2] His putative history, like his imaginary portrait, appears to be of later creation than the writings themselves.

During the 18th century it was suggested that the author of the works attributed to Basil Valentine was Johann Thölde, a salt manufacturer in Germany who lived roughly 1565-1624.[2][3] Modern scholarship now suggests that one author was Thölde, but that others were involved. Thölde published the first five books under Valentine's name.[4]: 138–140 

Whoever he was, Basil Valentine had considerable knowledge of chemistry. He demonstrated that ammonia could be obtained by the action of alkali on sal-ammoniac (ammonium chloride), described the production of hydrochloric acid by acidifying brine of common salt (sodium chloride), and created ethyl chloride[5] and oil of vitriol (sulfuric acid), among other achievements.[6]

The Twelve Keys of Basil Valentine

Illustration of the first key

Main article: The Twelve Keys of Basil Valentine

The Twelve Keys of Basil Valentine is a widely reproduced alchemical book attributed to Valentine, first published in 1599 by Johann Thölde.[2] It contains two parts, the second of which houses the twelve keys. These were accompanied by woodcut engravings from later publications in the early seventeenth century.

Selected publications

Library resources about
Basil Valentine
By Basil Valentine
Table of alchemical symbols, from an English translation of his Last Will and Testament, 1671

Numerous publications on alchemy in Latin and German were published under the name Basil Valentine. They have been translated into many European languages, including English, French, Russian and others. The following list is roughly organized in order of translation or publication date.

See also

References

  1. ^ Valentinus, Basilius (1717). Chymische Schrifften. Hamburg: Samuel Heyle.
  2. ^ a b c Stillman, John Maxson (December 1912). "Basil Valentine, a Seventeenth Century Hoax". Popular Science Monthly. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  3. ^ Mellor, Joseph William (1922). A Comprehensive Treatise on Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry. London, New York: Longmans, Green and Co. p. 53. ISBN 9780608186825.
  4. ^ Principe, Lawrence M. (2013). The Secrets of Alchemy. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226923789.
  5. ^ Rossberg, M.; Lendle, W.; Pfleiderer, G.; Tögel, A.; Dreher, E. L.; Langer, E.; Rassaerts, H.; Kleinschmidt, P.; Strack (2006). "Chlorinated Hydrocarbons". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a06_233.pub2. ISBN 978-3527306732.
  6. ^ Datta, N. C. (2005). The Story of Chemistry. Hyderabad: Universities Press. p. 56. ISBN 9788173715303.
  7. ^ Valentinus, Basilius. "Triumph-Wagen Antimonii". Othmer Library Catalog. Science History Institute.
  8. ^ Valentinus, Basilius. "Of natural and supernatural things". Othmer Library Catalog. Science History Institute.
  9. ^ Valentinus, Basilius (1671) [original date unknown]. The last will and testament of Basil Valentine, monke of the order of St. Bennet. Translated by Worlidge, Johannes (1st ed.). London: S. G. and B. G. for Edward Brewster.
  10. ^ Valentinus, Basilius (2008) [original date unknown]. Castelli, Joseph (ed.). Le dernier testament de Basile Valentin : livres I, II, III, IV et V, dans lequel sont montrées les mines, l'origine d'icelles, leurs natures et propriétés... [The last testament of Basil Valentin: books I, II, III, IV and V, in which are shown the mines, the origin of them, their natures and properties...]. Alchemy (in French). Montélimar. ISBN 9782353170449.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

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