'Magic coins' and 'magic squares': the discovery of astrological sigils in the Oldenburg Letters

Enclosed in a 1673 letter to Henry Oldenburg were two drawings of a series of astrological sigils, coins and amulets from the collection of Strasbourg mathematician Julius Reichelt (1637–1719). As portrayals of particular medieval and early modern sigils are relatively rare, this paper will analyse the role of these medals in medieval and early modern medicine, the logic behind their perceived efficacy, and their significance in early modern astrological and cabalistic practice. I shall also demonstrate their change in status in the late seventeenth century from potent magical healing amulets tied to the mysteries of the heavens to objects kept in a cabinet for curiosos. The evolving perception of the purpose of sigils mirrored changing early modern beliefs in the occult influences of the heavens upon the body and the natural world, as well as the growing interests among virtuosi in collecting, numismatics and antiquities

Ioãnnis Reuch=||lin Phorcensis Scenica || Progymnasmata. Hoc est Ludicra preexer=||citamenta.|| ... ||

Vorlageform des Erscheinungsvermerks: (Impressii Liptzk per Valentinũ Schumã. M.ccccc.xiiij.||

[Vocabularius breviloquus] : daran: [Ars diphthongandi]

[Johannes Reuchlin]. [Guarinus Veronensis]. [De arte punctandi] ; [De accentu] / [Johannes de Lapide]Impressum: Ort, Drucker und Jahr in der Vorlage genanntFor the attribution of the De arte punctandi to Guillaume Fichet rather than to Johannes de Lapide, see E. Beltran in Scriptorium, 39 (1985) 284-91 (Hillard 1733

Defensio Joannis Reuchlin Phorcensis LL. Doctoris Contra Calvmniatores Svos Colonienses

Johannes ReuchlinIm Freimann-Katalog: Hinweis auf Gustav Freytag-BibliothekIm Freimann-Katalog ist die Ausgabe aus 1513 nachgewiesenAus der Sammlung des Leo Baeck Institute, digitalisiert in Kooperation mit dem Center for Jewish History, N

De Accentibvs, Et Orthographia Lingvae Hebraicæ

à Iohanne Reuchlin Phorcensi LL . Doctori Libri Tres Cardinali Adriano dicatiImpressum gemäss KolophonBogensignaturen: a-t⁴, v-x⁶DruckermarkeAus dem Besitz Huldrych Zwinglis. Mit Annotationen von seiner Hand

Clarorum virorum epistolae latinae, graecae & hebraicae

variis temporibus missae ad Ioannem Reuchlin Phorcensem, LL. DoctoremBogensignaturen: A-K⁸Druckermark

Ioannis Reuchlin Phorcensis ll. doctoris in septem psalmos poenitentiales hebraicos interpretatio de verbo ad verbum, & super eisdem commentarioli sui, ad discendum linguam hebraicam ex rudimentis

Nachweis in: Benzing (Reuchlin) 114Zitiertitel: In septem psalmos poenitentiales interpretatioText in lat., Psalmen hebr. und lat.Titel des Anhangs auf Bl. []₁₀verso: Septem psalmi poenitentiales hebraici cum grammaticali tralatione latinaKolophon auf Bl. l₈versoSign.: a-e⁸,F-G⁸,h-l⁸,[]¹⁰. - Druckermarke auf Bl. l₈versoEinband der Zeit; unten auf der Titelseite: "eimi tou Zyingliou], Randglossen Zwinglis [Köhler 279

Joa[n]nis Reuch-//lin Phorcensis Scenica// Progymnasmata. Hoc// est. Ludicra preexer-//citamenta

Vorlageform des Erscheinungsvermerks im Kolophon: Impressij Liptzk p[er] Valentinu[m] Schuma[n]. M.ccccc.xiiijVD 16 R 126