ADANSON Jean-Baptiste Mutalsam / Talismans.

Autograph manuscript by Jean-Baptiste Adanson (1732-1803), orientalist, diplomat and drogman in France and the Orient. He worked in particular on Egypt, but also on Tunis.

The manuscript is devoted to the study of the origin of talismans: ‘”Les Égyptiens sont considérés comme les premiers inventeurs de talismans… Le talisman chez eux était la figure ou l’image d’un Signe Céleste, d’une Constellation ou d’une Panète, gravée sur une pierre sympathique, ou sur un métal correspondant à l’Astre dans un temps propre à recevoir les influences de l’astre qu’on représentait’.

Adanson then cites the main legendary talismans: the talisman of Paris, of the palace of Toledo, of the palace of Venice, of Solomon, of the island of Samothrace, of Petronius, and others.

Joint: two other notebooks, the first of which of 4 ff.n.ch. (last blank) contains a Greek lexicon; the other composed of 8 ff.n.ch. (including 3 blank leaves) with a Hebrew lexicon as well as a short note on Anubis ‘idol of the Egyptians’.