jo wheeler

This article discusses a newly discovered manuscript found in the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale in Florence, written in 1591 by Anzolo Bortolussi. This manuscript is the earliest-known recipe book that can be directly associated with a specific Murano glassmaking family. Following a detailed description, the importance of the Bortolussi manuscript is highlighted through cross-comparison with three major sources of Renaissance Venetian glass technology: the 1536 Montpellier manuscript and the recipe books of Giovanni Darduin (1644) and Gasparo Brunoro (1645); this analysis demonstrates that the four texts are interrelated. The nature of these recipes as trade secrets is then explored. Next, a sharp focus is maintained on formulas for rosechiero glass within the manuscript. This case study is especially significant because it casts new light on recipes for the same glass in Antonio Neri's L'arte vetraria (1612), revealing that he misinterpreted his Venetian source.

From recipes for plague amulets to aphrodisiacs and formulas for everything from lip balm to paint pigments, this book takes you into the secret world of Renaissance trades and explains why certain recipes were jealously guarded whilst others were printed for a new popular readership. New and extensive research offers intriguing insights into the use of obscure, exotic and toxic ingredients and explains now unfamiliar or arcane techniques. Each recipe is linked to real objects from the V&A's outstanding collections. Strikingly designed and beautifully illustrated, "Renaissance Secrets" reveals the compelling stories behind the original recipes.