Lapidary (text)

Title page of a printed lapidary by Conrad Gessner of 1565

A lapidary is a text in verse or prose, often a whole book, that describes the physical properties and metaphysical virtues of precious and semi-precious stones, that is to say, a work on gemology.[1] It was frequently used as a medical textbook since it also comprises practical information about the alleged medical application of each stone. Several lapidaries also provide information about countries or regions where some rocks were thought to originate, and others speculate about the natural forces in control of their formation.[2]

Lapidaries were very popular in the Middle Ages when belief in gems' inherent power for various purposes was widely held. Among the wealthy, collecting jewels was often an obsession and a popular way to store and transport capital.[3] In the Middle Ages, scholars often distinguish "three different kinds of lapidaries: 1. the scientific lapidary 2. the magical or astrological lapidary that sets the relationship between the Signs of the zodiac and a particular gemstone and 3. the Christian lapidary, which describes the symbolism of gems mentioned in the bible", although contemporary readers would have regarded both the first two categories as representing scientific treatments.[4]

Lapidaries are often found in conjunction with herbals, and as part of larger encyclopedic works. Belief in the powers of particular types of jewel to achieve effects such as protecting the wearer against diseases or other kinds of harm was strong in the Middle Ages, and explaining these formed much of the material in lapidaries.

The medieval world had little systematic geological knowledge and found it difficult to distinguish between many stones with similar colors or the same stone found in a variety of colors.[5]

The objects regarded as "stones" in the classical, medieval Renaissance periods included many now classified as metallic compounds such as cinnabar, hematite, calamine, or organic or fossil substances including pearl, coral, amber, and the mythical lyngurium.[6]

There were traditions of lapidary texts outside Europe, in the Islamic world as well as East Asia. The Chinese tradition was for long essentially concerned with the aesthetic qualities of stones, but by the later Middle Ages were influenced by the classical Western tradition, as transmitted through Islamic texts.[7]

  1. ^ Glick et al, 306; Vauchez, 821
  2. ^ Erin Harris, Nichola (May 2009). "The Idea of Lapidary Medicine: Its Circulation and Practical Applications in Medieval and Early Modern England". rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu.
  3. ^ Wheaton
  4. ^ Wheaton, quoted; Harris, 11 note 15, 35–39. Harris, 11–15 gives her own classification into six types.
  5. ^ Harris, 15–17
  6. ^ Harris, 14–16, 48–49
  7. ^ Harris, 21–22