ALCHEMY - MUTUS LIBER, OR SILENT BOOK - PLATE 6. Plate 6 of the series of 15 in the alchemical Mutus Liber. We remain in the laboratory, where the polarized alchemist removes the liquid (treated, as suggested earlier, for 40 days) from the curbites, and pours it into a large flask. This distillation is heated further, and a flower (higher product) is separated off, leaving behind a dross. The flower is removed: it reminds us that a secondary meaning of the Latin Ros (Dew) is 'rose' - the flower of the alchemists. This flower is handed over to a curious solar figure (the higher Self?). M
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Contributor:
Charles Walker Collection / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
MC6H79File size:
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1923 x 2797 px | 16.3 x 23.7 cm | 6.4 x 9.3 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
13 April 2018Photographer:
Charles Walker CollectionMore information:
This image could have imperfections as it’s either historical or reportage.
ALCHEMY - MUTUS LIBER, OR SILENT BOOK - PLATE 6. Plate 6 of the series of 15 in the alchemical Mutus Liber. We remain in the laboratory, where the polarized alchemist removes the liquid (treated, as suggested earlier, for 40 days) from the curbites, and pours it into a large flask. This distillation is heated further, and a flower (higher product) is separated off, leaving behind a dross. The flower is removed: it reminds us that a secondary meaning of the Latin Ros (Dew) is 'rose' - the flower of the alchemists. This flower is handed over to a curious solar figure (the higher Self?). Meanwhile, the original four-fold distillate is heated. The alchemical masterpiece, Mutus Liber (or Silent Book) first appeared in print during 1677 - probably brought into the light of day by the French alchemist, Jacob Saulat, as a book with 13 plates, which was later increased to one of 15 plates (as in the series available here). The book is almost without words, and such words as appear are rarely what they seem to be, and are certainly susceptible to more than one level of interpretation. The alchemical importance of the images resides in the subtle graphic symbolism. A clear exposition of this symbolism may be found in Adam McLean, A Commentary on the Mutus Liber, 1982