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Rosarium Philosophorum seriesSeries of 20 woodcuts in De Alchimia opuscula complura veterum philosophorum... Frankfurt 1550.Back to descriptions of sequences . Back to symbolism page . Emblem 1. A fountain stands upon three feet. From three spouts water falls into the basin. The fountain is framed by four six-pointed stars which are placed in two columns of smoke which rise on the right and left of the fountain. Another star is set above the fountain, and is framed by the sun and moon. Above this a double headed dragon or snake attempts to devour the stars. Emblem 2. A King on the left standing upon the Sun, reaches out with his left hand and grasps the left hand of a Queen standing upon the Moon. The King and Queen hold out in their right hands, branches with leaves that criss-cross each other. From a six-pointed star above a bird descends holding abrance in its beak, which it interesects with those of the King and Queen. Emblem 3. The King and Queen from the previous emblem, now stand naked. The King holds out his branch in his right and the Queen in her left hand, and now grasp the leafy tips of each others branch with their left and right hands respectively. From above a bird descends holding another branch. Emblem 4. The King and Queen now sit in a hexagonal bath, holding their branches in the same configuration as in the previous figure. From above a bird descends bearing another branch. Emblem 5. The Conjunction, Coniunctio or Coitus, of the King and Queen occurs in a pool of water. Beside them in the water are the Sun and Moon. Emblem 6. The Conception or Putrefaction. A hermaphrodite or conjoined King and Queen lies as if dead in a sepulchre filled with water. Emblem 7. The Extraction or Putrefaction of the Soul. The hermaphrodite or conjoined King and Queen still lies as if dead in a sepulchre. A small male spirit rises into clouds. Emblem 8. The Washing or Mundification. The hermaphrodite or conjoined King and Queen still lies as if dead in a sepulchre. Drops of rain descend on the body from the clouds above. Emblem 9. The Rejoicing or Springing or Sublimation of the Soul. The hermaphrodite or conjoined King and Queen still lies as if dead in a sepulchre. On the ground below, a bird standing on the ground approaches another buried in the ground with only its head showing. A small male spirit descends from the clouds above. Emblem 10. A winged hermaphrodite stands upon a Moon and holds in its right hand a chalice or cup within which are three snakes. In its left hand it holds a coiled snake or serpent. On the left of the hermaphrodite is a Moon tree with 13 Moon flowers. To the right is a crow. Emblem 11. The Fermentation. A further conjunction (as in emblem 5) of the King and Queen, now winged, occurs in a pool of water. Emblem 12. The Illumination. A winged Sun hovers above a sepulchre filled with water. Emblem 13. The Nourishment. A winged hermaphrodite or conjoined King and Queen lies as if dead in a sepulchre filled with water. (Compare with emblem 6). Emblem 14. The Fixation. The hermaphrodite or conjoined King and Queen (now having lost its wings) still lies as if dead in a sepulchre. A small female spirit rises into clouds. (Compare with emblem 7). Emblem 15. The Multiplication. The hermaphrodite or conjoined King and Queen still lies as if dead in a sepulchre. Drops of rain descend on the body from the clouds above. (Compare with emblem 8). Emblem 16. The Reviving. The hermaphrodite or conjoined King and Queen still lies as if dead in a sepulchre. A small female spirit descends from the clouds above. Emblem 17. The Demonstration of Perfection. A hermaphrodite with bat-like wings, stands upon a small hill in which three snakes attempt to devour each other. It holds in its right hand a cup or chalice within which are three serpents, and its its left hand a coiled snake. Behind it is a lion. On the left is a Sun tree with thirteen Sun flowers, while on the right a pelican nourishes its young with its own blood. Emblem 18. The Green Lion devours the Sun. Blood descends to the earth. Emblem 19. Christ holding sceptre and the Father holding on orb, together hold a crown above the head of a young woman. Above her head a bird hovers. Emblem 20. Christ holding aloft a banner rises from a sepulchre, his hand raised in a gesture of blessing. |