Title: incense-msg
Subject: Period incense
Author: Edited by Mark Harris
Last saved by: Mark S. Harris
Keywords: medieval, incense, perfume, smell, resin

incense-msg - 4/20/01

Period incense.

NOTE: See also the files: spices-msg, gums-resins-msg, perfumes-msg, Man-d-Mujeres-art, aphrodisiacs-msg, Perfumes-bib.

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    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous
                                          Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: bnostran at lynx.neu.edu (Barbara Nostrand)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Medieval incense making
Date: Fri, 03 Jul 1998 14:34:51 -0400
Organization: de Moivre Institute

>I am looking for information on the use of incense during the medieval period. 
>In particular, the materials used and any formulas that may be available.  

>Respond to:  nasps at aol.com
>Maedhbh Eo'Ghann
>(Pam Jacobsen)

A really old form of incense consists of nothing more or less than 
small pieces of aromatic wood typically taken from very old pieces
of wood which may have been seasoned for a hundred years or more.
Other forms of incense combine ground plant matterial with some form
of binder either into pellets or sticks.

                              Your Humble Servant
                              Solveig Throndardottir
                              Amateur Scholar

Yes. I briefly studied the incense cerimony.

Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999 09:34:53 -0500
From: Melanie Wilson <MelanieWilson at compuserve.com>
To: "INTERNET:sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu" <sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu>
Subject: Perfume book

After the discussions on perfume I found this book in a catalogue  that
might be of interest: Perfumery with Herbs, by Ivan Day, Perfumes in
History, natural perfume materials and their extraction. 100s of recipes
some historical for pomanders, beads, incense, washballs etc

Mel

Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2000 00:35:46 -0400
From: "Robin Carroll-Mann" <harper at idt.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Catalan Recipes

And it came to pass on 7 Apr 00,, that Brian Songy wrote:
> A XIVth century perfume recipe!?  I've been looking for such a thing!!  If
> it is not too much trouble, would you be willing to type that one recipe
> in?  English, modern Spainish or Catalan.

Here it is, in Catalan.  Although the title says "perfume", it appears to 
be solid pellets which are used as we would use incense.  I hope that it 
is still of interest to you.

Source: _LIbre de Totes Maneres de Confits_ (Catalan, 14th century)

CAPITOL XXX.  PER FER UN PERFUM MOLT MERAVELLOS

Per fer perfum molt meravellos, tu prendras guoma dregant .ii. oz. e sia 
remullada dos dies ab ayguas fines e benjuhi mige ll. e almesc una 
draume e ambre una drauma e estorac .ii. oz.  E sia be molt, e puys 
pendras una poca de siveta, e, com tot aso sia prest, tot ho pesteras e 
com sia pestat be, ab un cano de canya o ab so que volras que sia ben 
lis tu ho pleneras liscant liscant fins que tu conexeras que romaqua de 
bona cruxa.  E com ho auras aplenat, auras un guanivet e fer n as 
tauletes, e, com n auras fetes tauletes, aredonir les as en forma de 
panets axi fet com mig cruant.  E con  ne volras perfumar, pendras del 
panets e fer n as trosets e axi lansar n as sobre lo bresquet e 
perfumeras so que voldras.  E si pahvets ne volras fer en lo pestar, 
metras lo terchs de carbo de salser e fer n as los dits pahvets.

Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)

Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2000 22:36:42 -0400
From: "Robin Carroll-Mann" <harper at idt.net>
Subject: SC - OT: Catalan Perfume Recipes

And it came to pass on 8 Apr 00,, that Seton1355 at aol.com wrote:
> My high school Spanish is not up to snuff.  Do you be chance have this in
> English? Many thanks! P. Seton

I don't, but I can take a stab at a paraphrase.  (I don't dare call it a 
translation, but it should provide the relevant info.)
 
>  Here it is, in Catalan.  Although the title says "perfume", it appears to
>  be solid pellets which are used as we would use incense.  I hope that it
>  is still of interest to you.
> 
>  Source: _LIbre de Totes Maneres de Confits_ (Catalan, 14th century)
> 
>  CAPITOL XXX.  PER FER UN PERFUM MOLT MERAVELLOS
> 
>  Per fer perfum molt meravellos, tu prendras guoma dregant .ii. oz. e sia
>  remullada dos dies ab ayguas fines e benjuhi mige ll. e almesc una draume
>  e ambre una drauma e estorac .ii. oz.  E sia be molt, e puys pendras una
>  poca de siveta, e, com tot aso sia prest, tot ho pesteras e com sia
>  pestat be, ab un cano de canya o ab so que volras que sia ben lis tu ho
>  pleneras liscant liscant fins que tu conexeras que romaqua de bona cruxa.
>   E com ho auras aplenat, auras un guanivet e fer n as tauletes, e, com n
>  auras fetes tauletes, aredonir les as en forma de panets axi fet com mig
>  cruant.  E con  ne volras perfumar, pendras del panets e fer n as trosets
>  e axi lansar n as sobre lo bresquet e perfumeras so que voldras.  E si
>  pahvets ne volras fer en lo pestar, metras lo terchs de carbo de salser e
>  fer n as los dits pahvets.

To make a very marvelous perfume, you will take 2 ounces of gum 
dragon and it shall be soaked for two days in fine waters, and half a 
pound of bezoin and a drachm of musk and a drachm of amber and two 
ounces of storax.  And it shall be very good and then take a little of 
civet, and when all this is ready, (grind? powder?) all this and when it is 
well (ground? powdered?), with a cane of reed or whatever you wish, let 
it be quite smooth, you will flatten it very smoothly until you know that 
(?).  And when you have flattened it, take a knife and make slices, and 
when you have made slices, round them into the form of little rolls made 
like half a (?).  And when you wish to perfume, take the little rolls and 
make little pieces and leave them upon the (?) and you will perfume as 
you wish.  And if (?) you don't wish to make it in the (mortar?), put the 
(?) of coal for (incense??) and make the said (?).

As I said, I can't really call this a translation.  I don't know Catalan; I'm 
working with a couple of dictionaries and my knowledge of Spanish and 
French.  However, I think this would be a decent starting place for 
someone who is familiar with scent-making.

Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)

Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2000 14:14:38 -0800
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
Subject: Re: SC - manual ? #4, #5

Hmmm.. i've found almaciga on the web.
It is a tree found in South East Asia. There are several varieties, 
among them Agathis alba, Agathis borneensis, and Agathis dammara.

The resin of the tree is used in a number of products. Among its uses 
is as incense, in the modern usage of the word - meaning stuff that 
is burned for its pleasant smell and for religious purposes. An 
alternate name for it is Manila copal, since some species are found 
in the Philippines, which was colonized by the Spanish in the 16th 
century IIRC. Apparently the tree is now an endangered species. Could 
this be what you're after?

Anahita al-shazhiyya

Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2000 14:25:05 -0800
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
Subject: Re: SC - manual ? #4, #5

>My understanding is that incense is a fairly generic term for burnable
>perfumes (or something like that).  What was given to the Christ Child was
>Frankincense; Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh
>
>Gwynydd

It is now, but in older books i've looked at and in some modern 
languages "incense" means "frankincense". Other burnable resins are 
usually specified by name, such as myrrh, styrax, storax, gum benzoin 
(aka benjamin and a bunch of other names), gum elemi, etc.

Anahita al-shazhiyya

Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2000 03:54:00 +0100
From: TG <gloning at Mailer.Uni-Marburg.DE>
Subject: Re: SC - manual ? #4, #5

<< Now, i can't guarantee that Chypre as i know it dates back to the
time of this manual, but it would be something to look into...
So the Chipre soap could be Chypre scented soap. Or maybe it's a soap
imported from or imputed to be from Cyprus... >>

There are several handbooks for merchants of spices and drogues of the
14th and 15th centuries. From the list of products given in the Gual
Camarena article (1964) I take it, that "ensens" (incense) or "sabÛ de
Xipre" (Cyprus soap) are mentioned or described in Italian and Catalan
merchant manuals of the 14th and 15th centuries. Thus, Cyprus soap seems
to have been kind of a standard product of a 15th century merchant of
the iberian peninsula. In 1981, Miguel Gual Camarena published a
transcription of this text, and it might be helpful to look what this
text (and the other ones of this type) says about "sabÛ de Xipre" and
the other ingredients.

Thomas
(The following references are gathered from the Gual Camarena article of
1964; the information about his transcription is from the Copac
database:
- -- Gual Camarena, Miguel: Un manual Catal·n de mercaderÌa (1455; Libre
de conexenses de spicies, e de drogues e de avissaments de pessos, canes
e massures de diverses terres). In: Anuario de Estudio Medievales 1
(Barcelona 1964) 431-450.
- -- Gual Camarena, Miguel (ed.): El primer manual hispanico de mercaderia
(siglo XIV). Barcelona 1981 (Anuario de estudios medievales, Anejos 10).
- -- Pegolotti, Fr.B.: La pratica della mercatura. Ed. A. Evans.
Cambridge, Mass. 1936. Reprint New York 1970.
- -- Sapori, Arm.: La cultura del mercante medievale italiano. Florenz
1955.
- -- Uzzano, Giov. di Antonio da: La pratica della mercatura (1442). In:
G.F. Pagnini della Ventura: Della decima e di varie altre gravezze
imposte dal comune di Firenza, della moneta e della mercatura
de'Fiorentini, fino al secolo XVI. Vol. IV. Lissabon 1766.
- -- Borlandi, Aurora (ed.): Il manuale di mercatura di Saminiato de'Ricci
(1396). ???.
- -- Borlandi, Fr. (ed.): El libro di mercatantie et usanze de'paesi [ca.
1458; attr. a Giorgio di Lorenzo Chiarini]. Turin 1936.
- -- Cessi, R./ Luzzatto, G. (eds.): Tarifa zoË noticia dy pexi e mexure
di luogi e tere che s'adovra marcadantia per el mondo. Venedig 1925.)

Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2000 12:13:13 -0500 (EST)
From: Jenne Heise <jenne at mail.browser.net>
Subject: Re: Re: SC - manual ? #4, #5

> When in the middle east some years back I bought a rather large quantity of
> frankincense and myrrh incense.  It was readily available in the various
> markets and appeared to be burned generally.  Not an unpleasant smell.  But
> one does need a charcoal briquette to burn the resinous material.  While I
> suspect one could get powder, I saw only resin incense.

Um, the powder, if good quality, would be the powdered resin. This would
need to be neated on a charcoal, hot rock, or whatever. You might want to
look into cone or stick self-igniting incense, but the resin is so much
easier to deal with that I think it's worth it.
However... frankincense in particular produces large clouds of smoke when
burnt on charcoal, much more than you would expect from an ordinary
incense cone or stick.
- -- 
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise	      jenne at tulgey.browser.net

<the end>

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