3 Dec 2018

The College is revealing the secrets to finding the Philosophers’ Stone, as part of its new public exhibition which opened on 3 December.

The exhibition – Searching for the Elixir of Life: The mysteries and legacies of Alchemy – looks at the ancient tradition of alchemy that stretches back thousands of years and was a mysterious early version of science and spiritualism.

The alchemists’ aim was to uncover the secrets to creating the Philosophers’ Stone, made famous in the Harry Potter books and films. Whoever possessed the stone would be able to turn base metals like tin and lead into gold and unlock the secret elixir of life.

Iain Milne, Head of Heritage at the College said:

We are thrilled to have a new exhibition space here in Queen Street that allows visitors of all ages to see the College’s historic collections. This is the first time in 337 years that our fascinating collection of alchemical books and manuscripts has been put on public exhibition. The display will include the College’s Ripley Scroll – one of only 23 surviving copies anywhere in the world, and the only one in Scotland. The scroll uses symbols and illustrations to reveal the steps needed to create the Philosophers’ Stone. I expect Harry Potter readers to find many of the images and the terminology very familiar.

The College, founded in 1681, is opening its new Exhibition Centre which has been created as part of the College’s £3.5million redevelopment of its Queen Street home. Opening today, the exhibition is free to attend and open to the public from 10am-4.30pm Monday to Friday. The exhibition will run until summer 2019.

Notes: 

The display, which is located in the College on Queen Street, Edinburgh includes –

  • The Ripley Scroll – a 5.5 metre-long alchemical manuscript from the 1500s that describes how to make the Philosophers’ Stone, an object which features in Harry Potter and the Philosophers’ Stone.
  • An interactive touch screen display of the Ripley Scroll allowing visitors to unlock its mysteries and instructions to create the Philosophers’ Stone.
  • A manuscript copy of The Compound of alchemie by George Ripley (d. c. 1490) picturing an alchemical wheel incorporating the four elements, seasons, signs of the zodiac and medical terms. This may be the earliest existing copy of Ripley’s wheel.
  • One of the most beautiful of all alchemical manuscripts – the Splendor Solis. A rare first edition from 1598 that contains twenty two hand coloured illustrations showing the alchemical processes.
  • Five volumes of Theatrum Chemicum, the most important 17th century collection of alchemical works.
  • A 1664 edition of Oedipus Chimicus by JJ Becher, an alchemist who attempted to turn Danube mud into gold.
  • Among the other rare and beautiful alchemical books and manuscripts on display are many collected by a Fife aristocrat Sir George Erskine, over 372 years ago.

Paul Gillen

Contact: Paul Gillen p.gillen@rcpe.ac.uk 0131 247 3658