Gibecière 30, Summer 2020, Vol. 15, No. 2

We are proud to present issue #30 of our flagship journal, the Gibecière! In this Summer 2020 issue, Stephen Taut shares new and fascinating information about Jheronimus Bosch’s famous depiction of a conjuror in his painting “The Juggler.” William Kalush follows up with an examination into the Catholic Church’s relationship with conjuring through the Liber sextus decretalium, a 1514 book on canon law containing a woodcut of a cups and balls performance used to show the church’s disapproval of clergy practicing conjuring. Magic Christian delves into the story of how he discovered a beautiful oil portrait of J. N. Hofzinser by Joseph Matthäus Aigner. Readers can trace the history of the Magic Sword illusion with Judge Gary R. Brown, who leads us from its invention to its status in the present day. This issue also presents part two of Jean Hugard’s translation of J. N. Ponsin’s Nouvelle Magie Blanche Dévoilée, part one of which was published in the Gibecière issue #29 (Winter 2020). We hope you will enjoy.

Contents:

Pocket Notes – Stephen Minch

Bosch’s “Juggler” Revisited – Steffen Taut

Liber Sextus Decretalium – William Kalush

Hofzinser: Moments of Surprise – Magic Christian

The Long Way ‘Round – Judge Gary R. Brown

Nouvelle Magie Blanche Dévoilée – Part 2 – J.N. Ponsin, translated by Jean Hugard