Isaac Newton: Roth Mallor's Work

A page in Newton's own hand copying two steps toward the philosophers' stone from a little-known German author.

Work: Isaac Newton, "Roth Mallor's Work", alchemical manuscript (Science History Institute, QD14 .N498)
Artist / creator: Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
Origin & date: England, late 17th century (undated autograph)
Held by: Science History Institute, Philadelphia

Format

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$24.00

The story

A page of close, slanting English handwriting, corrected and underlined, headed with a title and a few symbols. The hand is Isaac Newton's. According to the Science History Institute, which holds it, the page records two steps in the making of the philosophers' stone, drawn from the obscure German alchemist Erasmus Rothmaler, whom Newton calls "Roth Mallor", together with recipes for "a menstruum that will disolve gold." Newton left an estimated one million words of alchemical notes. This leaf was lot 18(c) in the Sotheby's sale of his papers. It shows the most famous scientist of his age doing what every other reader of these books did: copying out a stranger's recipe, carefully, in case it worked.

About this reproduction

Faithful reproduction of a public-domain work, sourced from Science History Institute, Philadelphia’s open-access release.
Printed to order on archival cotton-rag stock, pigment inks rated 100+ years.
Color-managed to the source scan.
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Image courtesy of the Science History Institute, Philadelphia, licensed CC BY 3.0.

In situ