Tholde, Johann

Since the alchemists considered natural antimony minerals to be the most suitable raw material for the transmutation of metals into gold, alchemical literature abounds in references to antimony (65). The most famous of the early monographs on this element is the Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, which first appeared in 1604, in German. Johann Tholde, operator of a saltworks in Frankenhausen, Thuringia, the editor of this work, claimed that it had been written by a fifteenth-century Benedictine monk, Basilius Valentinus (3, 6). Since no conclusive evidence of the existence of this monk has been unearthed, and since the literary style... 

Saltpeter or Niter. Salt-petersaid P.-J. Macquer,. . signifies the Salt of Stone and in fact Nitre is extracted from the stones and plaister in which it forms. .. (8). In the chemical works of the unknown monk Basil Valentine, which were edited by Johann Tholde, saltpeter is described as a wonder-salt with an infernal spirit concealed in an ice-like form. 

The best evidence indicates that Basil Valentine (the Valiant King, a Benedictine cleric monk said to be born in 1394) never existed. Books attributed to him such as the ever-popular Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, first published in 1604, are generally attributed to the publisher Johann Tholde who, in turn, had perhaps improved upon earlier manuscripts that had come into his hands. Nevertheless, they contain interesting images and even some useful information. 

Paracelsus s works began to appear in print about 20 years after his death, and other authors soon produced iatrochemical texts. Probably the most famous such author was Basil Valentine, although it is now believed that no such person existed and that his books were probably the work of the publisher, Johann Tholde. The most famous book attributed to Valentine is the Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. This work gave clear directions for the preparation of a number of antimony salts and their use in medicine. 

Basilius Valentinus is also said to have written Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. However, it has been questioned if this really is a work by a monk in the 1400s. It seems too modern for the 15 century and was in fact published by Johann Tholde in Germany in 1604. In the monograph it is emphasized that antimony minerals are the most suitable raw materials for the transmutation of metals into gold. 

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