Alchemical diagrams in recipe books: from mining exploration to cooking (1502-1670)
Résumé
Alchemical literature from late Middle Ages to early seventeenth century faces two main issues. First, this literature has to promote important discoveries offering credibility to scientists often considered as impostors. However, this literature often maintains its secrecy with esoterical diagrams : mining exploration, exploitation or transformation mixed with medical advices or cooking recipes are precisely explained but hidden from greedy kings and princes that could threaten and enclose alchemists to access to practical knowledges. The transformations of hidden manuscripts revealing recipes with metallic resources into printed books illustrate the correction of these two constraints, promotion and protection. On the one hand, anonymous manuscript books with pictures display accurate drawn indications or gestures to transform mining materials, to focus on specific parts of the page or even to let the reader choose relevant information. On the other hand, printed texts offer step by step guide to discover and use ores for larger audience, with cooking vocabulary, whereas graphic illustrations, diagrams, iconic figures or even typographical details may create brief confusions for beginners. Wiser readers, familiar with esoteric and allegorical representations of pragmatic gestures, have access to further evidence. As printed mining recipes are either published in small transportable and illustrated books or large anthology, comparisons of manuscript and print editions reveal different methods of reading, guiding and illustrating same recipes.