Distillation apparatus, a spade, geometric solids and calculations
A crowded sheet of stills and glass vessels on stands with columns of arithmetic
The sheet is densely filled with distillation apparatus — rounded flasks, retorts and alembics standing on tripod legs and bracket supports — together with a broad spade or shovel and a hafted tool at left. At lower right are small studies of octahedral solids, and columns of arithmetic run along the lower margin. The transcribed matter is limited to a rod resting on a support marked “8 – 32”, the fragment “ann” written on the inverted sheet, and two identical sets of arithmetical working; further faded mirror-script survives at the left of the sheet but was not transcribed.
On this page
Distillation vessels on stands
The greater part of the sheet is given over to glass distilling apparatus: bulbous flasks and retorts with long necks, some fitted with curved delivery tubes, raised on tripod feet and on bracket supports fixed to benches. The forms are drawn repeatedly at different scales as if to compare arrangements.
Columns of arithmetic
Along the lower margin are two matching blocks of calculation, setting out figures such as 120, 80, 40 and products running to 1800, 4800 and 3200. A short rod resting on a support at right carries the numbers “8 – 32”.
Small octahedral solids
At the lower right corner are little sketches of faceted solids drawn in outline, resembling octahedra or squared diamond forms, set apart from the apparatus above.