The Digital Walters is a branch of The Walters Art Museum Manuscripts Department.
Support: Parchment; Extent: 92 x 124 mm
Rotunda
Here, the complete and undivided unity of winged Hermaphrodite is represented by a single crown and unified body. Hermaphrodite stands on two mounds above the mercurial dragon, and holds a single coiled snake representing unity born of the triad in his/her right hand and a chalice with three serpents representing the three realms of nature with his/her left. Because these symbols were generally used by alchemical writers and because there is no surviving text, it is unclear which text these miniatures illustrated, although it has been suggested that they once belonged to a copy of the Rosarium philosophorum, attributed to Arnald of Villanova (ca. 1240 - 1311).
Crowned Hermaphrodite (Androgyne or Rebis)
Here, Philosophical Mercury, representing the female principle, stands between two trees whose trunks are set with ten golden eagles, representing the highest number of distillations. The trees entwine above her head to encapsulate the sun and the moon, signifying her dual nature. Because these symbols were generally used by alchemical writers and because there is no surviving text, it is unclear which text these miniatures illustrated, although it has been suggested that they once belonged to a copy of the Rosarium philosophorum, attributed to Arnald of Villanova (ca. 1240 - 1311).
Philosophical Mercury (Mercurius)
Alchemy, a forerunner of modern science, sought to discern the spiritual and temporal nature of reality, its structure, laws, and functions through the physical properties of substances. Its language and method employed cryptic symbolism to convey the relationships between the physical and metaphysical worlds. These miniatures are typical examples of alchemical art.
These are pages that we pulled aside that disrupted the flow of the manuscript reader. These may be bindings, inserts, bookmarks, and various other oddities.
Italy (northern?)
1400-1499
Latin
Italy (northern?)
1400-1499
Latin
Here, the complete and undivided unity of winged Hermaphrodite is represented by a single crown and unified body. Hermaphrodite stands on two mounds above the mercurial dragon, and holds a single coiled snake representing unity born of the triad in his/her right hand and a chalice with three serpents representing the three realms of nature with his/her left. Because these symbols were generally used by alchemical writers and because there is no surviving text, it is unclear which text these miniatures illustrated, although it has been suggested that they once belonged to a copy of the Rosarium philosophorum, attributed to Arnald of Villanova (ca. 1240 - 1311).
Crowned Hermaphrodite (Androgyne or Rebis)
Here, Philosophical Mercury, representing the female principle, stands between two trees whose trunks are set with ten golden eagles, representing the highest number of distillations. The trees entwine above her head to encapsulate the sun and the moon, signifying her dual nature. Because these symbols were generally used by alchemical writers and because there is no surviving text, it is unclear which text these miniatures illustrated, although it has been suggested that they once belonged to a copy of the Rosarium philosophorum, attributed to Arnald of Villanova (ca. 1240 - 1311).
Philosophical Mercury (Mercurius)
Alchemy, a forerunner of modern science, sought to discern the spiritual and temporal nature of reality, its structure, laws, and functions through the physical properties of substances. Its language and method employed cryptic symbolism to convey the relationships between the physical and metaphysical worlds. These miniatures are typical examples of alchemical art.
Rotunda
These are pages that we pulled aside that disrupted the flow of the manuscript reader. These may be bindings, inserts, bookmarks, and various other oddities.
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