Alchemical Symbolism in the VMS - Printable Version

Alchemical Symbolism in the VMS - Printable Version

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RE: Alchemical Symbolism in the VMS - Searcher - 05-12-2017

To understand alchemical allegories more clearly, in particular, why "the well of Wisdom" and "the well of the water of life" is the same thing, we need to look for in Christian religion and Kabbalah, as well.

Filename: fontain of life and wisdom.png Size: 60.74 KB 04-12-2017, 11:47 PM

Filename: fountain of life and wisdom1.png Size: 111.41 KB 04-12-2017, 11:48 PM

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RE: Alchemical Symbolism in the VMS - MarcoP - 07-12-2017

A few months ago, You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. mentioned this great alchemical illustration.

[Image: 687474703a2f2f322e62702e626c6f6773706f74...6f2e6a7067]

[Image: 687474703a2f2f322e62702e626c6f6773706f74...6f2e6a7067]

According to You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., the source is Leiden MS. Vossianus Chym. F. 29. (Erfurt, 1522-1526?) f73. If I understand correctly, the illustration is attributed to Johannes Hoch. The web page also links a different, simpler version of the illustration (published by Van Lennep, in “Alchimie”).

In my opinion, some details can be compared specifically with features in VMS f80r:

An angel “pushing” a girl towards a young man in a bathing tub could resemble the top-right VMS scene, where a man “pushes” a “nymph” towards the central bathing nymph.
There are a profusion of “putti” which could in part correspond to the “nymphs”. Those at the top right are emerging from vases and can be compared with the nymphs at the sides of VMS f80r. Others are floating on cloud-bands and are also somehow comparable to some Quire 13 illustrations. Several putti, like many "nymphs", are holding "attributes".
Finally, the tiny detail of the cross-shaped gem diadem of the woman holding the scales. A vaguely similar diadem is worn by one of the top “nymphs”.

I think it is interesting to see several analogies (however "thin") between these two specific VMS and alchemical pages. But all this might still be coincidental and its relevance is likely quite small (as Rene wrote, the alchemical illustration is one century later than the VMS). Moreover, the meaning of the alchemical illustration is mostly unclear to me, so I cannot use it to formulate hypotheses about the similar traits in the VMS.

Yet images like this confirm that (as observed by Jennifer Rampling in her Yale facsimile article) a wide and creative usage of personification occurred in alchemical manuscripts and might also be present in VMS Quire 13.

[PS: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. of the Leiden page]

RE: Alchemical Symbolism in the VMS - bi3mw - 10-12-2017

(07-12-2017, 04:04 PM)MarcoP Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.....
Moreover, the meaning of the alchemical illustration is mostly unclear to me, so I cannot use it to formulate hypotheses about the similar traits in the VMS.
....

In my opinion, the illustration in the described part of VCF29 is hard to compare with You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (top right) in the VMS.

A pretty good description of the scene ( in French ):

Quote:
Source:http://aqua-permanens.blogspot.de/2011/11/saturne-2.html

Source text ( for translation):

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Observons l'image ci-dessous :

Saturne vomissant un enfant, et arrosé d'Eau Mercurielle (lac virginis vinum ardens).
Deux parties dans cette illustration :
En haut : Saturne dévorant ou vomissant un de ses enfants. Remarquez la Lune et le Soleil qui brillent près de ce Dieu qui incarne ici le Nigredo, c'est à dire le premier stade des opérations du Grand Œuvre.
Que représente la balance ? Pour les philosophes, la balance est un outil essentiel pour la réussite de l'Opus. Sans son traité consacré à cet outil l'alchimiste arabe Gerber (722-815) écrit : " Tout l'Art consiste, selon les philosophes, dans les poids et proportions des matières. Quand il n'y a qu'une substance, il n'y a point de regard au poids; mais le poids est au regard du Souffre qui est au Mercure ... Et ainsi le poids est en la composition première élémentale du Mercure, et rien d'autre."
En alchimie, le poids, la taille et la mesure constituent une véritable trinité.

Si nous comptons les enfants présents sur cette illustration : Un enfant rejeté par saturne, deux enfants pesés dans la balance, et quatre autres qui attendent leur triste sort. Nous obtenons ainsi, le chiffre 7 qui est le nombre associé à Saturne dans la cryptographie alchimique et qui correspond aux sept métaux qui nous devrons traiter pour la réussite de l’œuvre.

En bas : La régénération dans le bain. Remarquez que la Dame du haut qui pèse, verse également au travers de saturne, le contenu d'un broc dans une cuvette où se baigne le fiancé du couple alchimique. C'est une variante du bain purificateur des composantes de la Pierre; bain évoqué dans de nombreux traités et illustré notamment dans le Rosarium Philosophorum. Ici le fiancé est accueilli par la fiancée. Remarquer en bas à gauche les trois bambins qui s'élèvent au-dessus du brasier. Ils représentent les parties volatiles de la matière purifiée, par rapport aux bambins qui sont dévorés par Saturne. Remarquer sur l’extrême gauche en bas un renard qui se tient debout près du brasier (Nous le voyons à peine car il est coupé) Ce renard représente en quelque sorte la capacité d'intégrer ses parties volatiles, c'est à dire de les fixer, qu'elles deviennent incarnées.

The original Illustration:
[Image: VCF29_f073r.png]

[Image: VCF29_f073r.png]

Pseudo Thomas d'Aquin, De alchimia, You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., fol. 73r, Leiden, Rijksuniversiteit Bibliotheek, 16th century

Remarkably, the nymph in the VMS appears to be pregnant. She's either led to the group of other nymphs or held tight. I'm not sure who the companion is, but I assume it's an angel.

RE: Alchemical Symbolism in the VMS - MarcoP - 10-12-2017

Thank you, bi3mw!
I unsuccessfully tried to find the scans of the ms. For some reason, I find it difficult to find stuff on the Leiden site.
In colour, the illustration is even more beautiful. Several additional features are visible now:

Many of the most prominent details are labelled (the woman with scales, "Ody / Odÿ", the figure of Saturn "Kaptor?" "Karptor?", the bathing tub "Katas?", the three figures in the green vases etc.). A few of VMS Quire 13 illustrations (including f80r) are similarly labelled.
A (labelled) fluid flows from the jar held by the lady in green, through the body of Saturn, into the bathing tub. VMS You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. includes a labelled fluid running vertically and possibly something similar happens in f78r. This type of composition (a fluid running form a source, through and intermediate item, into a final container) is not common.

I agree that the parallel with the VMS is weak and the difference in dates does not support a close relationship. Yet I believe there is a similarity in the "visual vocabulary." I am sorry I am unable to read the text of the Leiden page, not even the labels.

The rest of the ms is also very interesting (with nice illustrated copies of Aurora Consurgens and the Book of the Holy Trinity), but this page really stands out for its originality. Thanks again for digging the link out!

RE: Alchemical Symbolism in the VMS - ReneZ - 10-12-2017

Access to the Vossius collection of manuscripts in Leiden is You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. .

Many of the manuscripts trace back to Prague, and in particular to the court of Rudolf, but Voss. Chym. F 29 is not connected with Rudolf, according to the latest expert opinion. It is discussed in many of the articles in:

Purš, I. and V.Karpenko (eds): Alchemy and Rudolf II, Exploring the Secrets of Nature in Central Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, Artefactum, Prague, 2016.

RE: Alchemical Symbolism in the VMS - Searcher - 10-12-2017

Marco wrote:

Quote:Many of the most prominent details are labelled (the woman with scales, "Ody / Odÿ", the figure of Saturn "Kaptor?" "Karptor?", the bathing tub "Katas?", the three figures in the green vases etc.).

I think, there are Raptor (a killer, a predator, a thief) and Ratas, which, probably, is another spelling of Ratis (a boat, a vessel, a raft).

RE: Alchemical Symbolism in the VMS - bi3mw - 11-12-2017

(10-12-2017, 12:17 PM)MarcoP Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view....., the figure of Saturn "Kaptor?" "Karptor?", the bathing tub "Katas?", ....

Glad to have been of help. As far as the text is concerned, I discovered the first letter / sign in another alchemical treatise ( see below ). The text is "Golt Mercurius"( ger. "golt" is engl. "gold" ). Thus, the initial letter is "G". This could also be the case in Voss. Chym. F 29, but it does not have to.

[Image: comp_first_letter.png]

[Image: comp_first_letter.png]

Reusner, Hieronymus, Pandora, Basel 1588, Bibl. Sud. 1421, page You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. .

Reusner called Thomas De Aquina "dearest brother" ( page You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. ) and his work shows illustrations with flowing fluids, sources, passages and containers ( on page You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. and page You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. , for example ).

Edit: I'll take a look at the Synonima later, beginning on page 267.

RE: Alchemical Symbolism in the VMS - Searcher - 12-12-2017

(11-12-2017, 07:10 PM)bi3mw Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
(10-12-2017, 12:17 PM)MarcoP Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view....., the figure of Saturn "Kaptor?" "Karptor?", the bathing tub "Katas?", ....

... The text is "Golt Mercurius"( ger. "golt" is engl. "gold" ). Thus, the initial letter is "G".

It seems, Marco is correct, indeed. It is K. Kolt is a possible variant of golt or gold, as I understand. Kaptor is Captor, which meaning is similar to the Latin word Raptor (a thief, a reaver). But what is Katas? Maybe, it is something close to Katar and relates to purification.

RE: Alchemical Symbolism in the VMS - -JKP- - 12-12-2017

Alchemy is usually associated with gold but, for the record, in the northern areas, Kolt can also refer to cold (I don't know if it does here, but I thought I'd mention it).

RE: Alchemical Symbolism in the VMS - Helmut Winkler - 12-12-2017

I rather think it is a R, Rott for rot/red, the opposite term is wijssz/weiss/white and I read Rott Mercurius noster wijssz