SYMBOLS - KEY - THREE Title-page woodcut to Brunschwig, Das Buch zu Distilieren, 1532. The two chemists or alchemists appear to be distilling Aqua Vita, but the most important symbols in this intriguing illustration is the key to the spout, being operated by the alchemist towards the bottom of the picture, to draw off some of the distilled liquid. The key is made of three circles - a clear reference to the Trinity, and a reminder that the alchemists regarded all their operations as being under the licit control of God. This trinity symbol was reflected in the alchemical image of Man, who w
SYMBOLS - KEY - THREE Title-page woodcut to Brunschwig, Das Buch zu Distilieren, 1532. The two chemists or alchemists appear to be distilling Aqua Vita, but the most important symbols in this intriguing illustration is the key to the spout, being operated by the alchemist towards the bottom of the picture, to draw off some of the distilled liquid. The key is made of three circles - a clear reference to the Trinity, and a reminder that the alchemists regarded all their operations as being under the licit control of God. This trinity symbol was reflected in the alchemical image of Man, who was threefold, his spirit, soul and body being reflected in the workings of Salt, Mercury and Sulphur. The four-fold structure of this curious distillation apparatus reflects the four-fold model of man, portrayed in the mediaeval medical documents. To the mediaeval mind, this apparatus would be a thinly-disguised reference to the human body, and to the magical distillation operations which occur within it, on a daily basis.
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Photo credit: © Charles Walker Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -, archival, archive, art, artistic, artwork, brunschwig, buch, colour, das, esoterica, historic, historical, history, illustration, image, key, paranormal, symbols, title-page, woodcut, zu
