Splendor Solis

13 Pages·2011·3.51 MB·English

O
Splend r
S lis
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The Splendor Solis is the most beautiful treatise on alchemy ever made.
Splendor Solis
The British Library • London
«First, unique and unrepeatable edition strictly limited to 987 copies»
This codex, dated 1582, is the most
(cid:129) Shelf mark: Suppl. turc 242. beautiful treatise on alchemy ever
(cid:129) Date: 1582. made. The imagination and lyri-
(cid:129) Size: 230 x 330 mm. cism of its truly marvellous illus-
(cid:129) 100 pages, 22 full-page illuminations. trations are awe-inspiring even to
lavishly embellished with gold. those not familiar with this subject.
(cid:129) Bound in crimson leather decorated
The secrets of kabbalah, astrology
with gold.
and alchemic symbolism are revea-
(cid:129) Full-colour commentary volume (448 p.)
led on 22 folios bearing full-page
by Thomas Hofmeier (Historian of
illustrations with a wealth of colo-
Alchemy) Jörg Völlnagel (Art historian,
ur and almost Baroque profusion
research associate at the Staatliche
of detail.
Museen zu Berlin), Peter Kidd (Former
curator of medieval and Renaissance
manuscripts at the Bodleian and British
Libraries) and Joscelyn Godwin.
Bound in crimson leather decorated with gold
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Introduction to the Splendor Solis Splendor Solis, bearing in mind that most about the conditions surrounding the pro-
contemporary readers would have consid- duction of the illuminated manuscript: we
commentary volume
erable diffi culty understanding much of know of numerous sources that were drawn
the content: upon by both the text and the illustrations,
Jörg Völlnagel
which were to have a lasting effect on the
Art historian, research associate at the The Alchemy
Splendor Solis. In looking carefully at the ico-
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. of the Splendor Solis nography of both the illustrations and their
“The Alchemy of the Splendor Solis” by respective sources we gain a closer insight
Thomas Hofmeier offers an overview of into the origins of the Splendor Solis which
The Harley MS. 3469 – “Splendor Solis or according to which the human being (the the intellectual and spiritual environment in turn leads us to an attribution of the
Splendour of the Sun” – is one of the most alchemist) exists and acts in harmony with in which the Splendor Solis emerged, thus
beautiful and well known illuminated al- nature, respecting divine creation and at providing important criteria for the intel-
"Many people, including such
chemical manuscripts in the world. Its the same time intervening in the process- lectual classifi cation of the codex. What
illustrations can be found in many dif- es underlying that creation, all the while is alchemy in the fi rst place, what is its literary greats as William Butler
ferent places. Decorating publications supporting its growth with the help of al- aim, how did it come about, what is its Yeats, James Joyce and Umberto
on alchemy, esoteric self-help books and chemy. Comprised of seven treatises and history? These are the questions Thomas Eco, have dealt with the
fantasy novels, they have also been known 22 opulent illustrations, the manuscript Hofmeier treats in his essay. Introducing
manuscript"
to appear on the labels of aphrodisiac revolves around this complex of philo- alchemy as a bibliographical science (with
party drinks or record covers. Though sophical concerns, while the business of pictures), he also sheds light on the pro-
they may or may not have been aware of chemistry itself is accorded a more subor- duction of manuscripts and the advent original miniatures supported by reliable
it, many readers will no doubt have come dinate role. of book printing during the Late Middle evidence. The other sixteenth- and early
across an illustration from this manuscript Be that as it may, both the author and Ages and Early Modern Era. Naturally he seventeenth-century illuminated copies of
at one point or another. In view of such illustrator of the Splendor Solis no doubt directs much of his attention to the Splen- the manuscript to have survived besides
decontextualised appearances, one might found the right tone, for in the course of dor Solis. Alongside his close reading of the Harley 3469 are introduced in brief,
well ask what these pictures are all about: the centuries to have elapsed meanwhile the text, he elucidates the various sources followed by a discussion – perhaps most im-
what is their subject matter, and what are the Splendor Solis has become the prime ex- drawn upon by the manuscript, culminat- portantly – of the concept underlying the
the concerns of the text? When was the fa- ample of an illuminated alchemical manu- ing in a genealogical tree. Splendor Solis, which aspired from the very
mous manuscript produced and who was script. Many people, including such liter- beginning to become the most beautiful of
The Origins
behind it? Thus the main question we face ary greats as William Butler Yeats, James all illuminated alchemical manuscripts. In-
with the Splendor Solis is: what kind of book Joyce and Umberto Eco, have dealt with of the Splendor Solis deed, to return for a moment to the praise
do we have in our hands? the manuscript in one way or another. Yet My own contribution to the volume, “The lauded upon the Splendor Solis at the outset,
The Splendor Solis is by no means a up until now there has never been a mono- Origins of the Splendor Solis”, addresses the it was a concept realised, it is fair to state,
laboratory manual, a kind of recipe book graph specifi cally dedicated to the Harley fact that the origins of the manuscript Har- with enduring success!
for alchemists. Indeed, it is hardly a list MS. 3469. The publication of the present ley MS. 3469, which is dated 1582, can actu-
The Provenance
of instructions for whipping up a little facsimile edition by Moleiro addresses ally be traced back a further fi fty years to
alchemical soup in the hope of fi nding a this longstanding desideratum. the southern German town of Augsburg. of the Harley Splendor Solis
nugget of artifi cial gold in the pot at the The fi ve contributions assembled in Neither the author nor the commissioner Peter Kidd examines “The Provenance of
end. Rather, the Splendor Solis sets forth the present commentary volume provide of the Splendor Solis is known to us. Nev- the Harley Splendor Solis”. While up until
the philosophy of alchemy, a world view an indispensable basis for dealing with the ertheless, there is much that can be said now the only thing that could be said with
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any certainty about the provenance of the for an interpretation of the work, while
manuscript was that, being part of the Har- also offering clues as to a possible inter-
ley Collection, it was among the original in- pretation of the enigmatic imagery of the
ventory of the British Library, further clues Splendor Solis.
can be found in notes made in pencil by
Translation
Edward Harley on the manuscript’s fl yleaf.
of the manuscript
Kidd investigates the historical plausibility of
these markings, the source of which is not And fi nally, Joscelyn Godwin presents us
revealed by Harley, thus paving the way for with the fi rst reliable English translation of
the fi rst critical analysis of the provenance of the Early New High German original text
this famous manuscript. of the Harley MS. 3469 manuscript. God-
The same can also be said of an en- win’s translation is of particular historical
try in the diary of John Evelyn. The note importance, for right back in the early sev-
documents Evelyn’s encounter with an al- enteenth century, there were a number of
chemical manuscript in the Royal Library early translations in circulation that were
at Whitehall whose description matches based not on the original text of the Ger-
the Splendor Solis and which has been man manuscripts, but rather on a highly
linked in the literature with the Harley distorted and corrupt French version of
MS. 3469 – a highly improbable conjec- the text. While it does include black-and-
ture, as Kidd shows. white reproductions of the illustrations
Admittedly, it is not easy to let go of in the Harley MS. 3469 manuscript, even
the notion that alchemy’s most beautiful Julius Kohn’s famous text edition, pub-
illuminated manuscript was not part of lished in 1920 by Kegan Paul in London
the Royal British Library. Indeed, it would with numerous reprints in the meantime,
only have been fi tting for the “Royal Art” suffers from an English translation bear-
of alchemy to have acquired an altogether ing marked deviations from the original.
new signifi cance in this way. Yet even this Godwin’s new translation redresses this
necessary historiographical disillusion- unfortunate circumstance – all of which
ment can be regarded among the merits is thanks to the publishing initiative of M.
of the present publication. Moleiro Editor, allowing what may well be
the most beautiful illuminated alchemical
Commentaries on the
manuscript to extend its splendour be-
twenty-two paintings
yond the British Library to a further 987
My “Commentaries on the the twenty-two public and private libraries.
paintings” introduce the twenty-two full-
page illustrations of the manuscript, de- Jörg Völlnagel
scribing the key pictorial elements crucial
moleiro.com/online • moleiro.com f. 13v, Mine.
philosophical tree,
f. 15r
This miniature features a large tree as wide der. According to Read, the seven rungs
as the picture itself. In the vicinity of the indeed represent the seven planets and
tree’s golden roots the narrow silver trunk the metals attributed to them, hence the
is encircled by a splendid golden crown. alchemical process must be in transition
At the very top of the tree, a large raven from silver to gold.
with a white head sits plucking transpar- Going on the content of the second
ent, white pearls from the branches, while allegory, which directly precedes this pic-
a fl ock of other birds fl y in all directions. ture in the manuscript, the fi gures in the
Among the foliage below hangs a wicker miniature represent the three generations
harvesting basket. To the left is a young of Aeneas’ family: Aeneas himself, his fa-
man standing at the top of a ladder. ther Anchises, and up in the tree, his son
The main miniature is bordered by a Silvius. As it happens, the two philosophers
rather extraordinary painting of a stage- at the foot of the tree are also faithful cop-
like frame structure with two tall wings on ies, albeit laterally reversed, of a woodcut
each side. At the foot of the main mini- produced for a 1502 edition of Virgil’s
ature, in the middle of the painted frame works published by Johannes Grüninger
structure, a scene is taking place at a in Strasbourg. The three generations are
women’s bath. From his position on the robed in the principal colours of alchemy.
balcony located in the right wing a king The boy is dressed in black, the colour
observes the scene, suggesting the paint- used to designate the beginning; white,
ing might well be a loose interpretation of which symbolises the intermediary stage,
the Bathsheba episode in the Old Testa- the opus parvum, is the dominant colour
ment. The plinth is decorated by a frieze in the coat of his father, Aeneas; and the
depicting a battle in relief. At the centre shawl of the family elder, Anchises, is red,
of the frieze is a medallion containing the signifying perfection or the opus magnum.
golden year of “1582”. Soaring birds are frequently used in alche-
Known to alchemists as the philosoph- my to symbolise sublimation, which could
ical tree, the tree of life stands for the also be symbolised in this instance by the
opus alchymicum, the alchemical process white-hooded raven, its black body equat-
regarded as a preliminary stage of the per- ing to the sublimate that remains behind
fection to which alchemists aspire. This in the retort. In the alchemical process
fact would lend support to John Read’s this would designate the transition from
observation that the youth is standing on the nigredo to the albedo phase, from black
the sixth and seventh rungs of the lad- to white.
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Hermaphrodite,
f. 19v
This miniature foregrounds a winged her- an illuminated manuscript without one.
maphrodite within a verdant landscape. In the three colours black, white and red,
Dressed all in black, the fi gure is wearing the Rebis (from Lat. res bina meaning “two-
pointy shoes and tight-fi tting stockings fold matter”) also stands for the essence
covered by a knee-length frock coat with of alchemical endeavour which aspires
elaborate gold braiding and appliqués. to overcome particular states of matter
Protruding from the generous golden through the union of opposites. Accord-
neckline of the overgarment are two necks ing to the related passage of text, united
and two heads. On the left is a male head pairs of opposites, as envisioned by the
with short hair, and on the right a female painter in the fi gure of the hermaphro-
head with long hair. Each of the two heads dite, bring forth four children: the four
is encircled by an aura – the male in gold, elements of nature – earth, water, air and
the female in silver – which underscores fi re. And it is from their entirety that the
the hieratic origins of the hermaphrodite. fi fth “creature” emerges, this being the
The two big fl uffy wings on the back of the quintessence. In the text this notion is
fi gure – the left of red feathers, the right conveyed in terms of an egg, another of
of white feathers – give further expression alchemy’s foremost symbols. Embodying
to the same. The hermaphrodite holds a the four elements, the egg will hatch at
white egg between the thumb and index some point, bringing forth the fi fth ele-
fi nger of his left hand and a large, round ment like a young chick. The four ele-
plate in his right hand. The surface of the ments are also invoked by the image of a
disc is comprised of a number of rings. disc world with earth at the interior and
Encompassing the round refl ective area in three rings of water, air and fi re revolving
the centre, possibly a mirror, in which an around it.
image of the surrounding landscape can
be discerned, are three rings of different
colours. Adjoining the outer ring of fl am-
ing orange and yellow is a cloudy ring of
white and grey. This middle ring adjoins
the inner ring of deepest blue which en-
circles the refl ected landscape.
The egg, main
Signifying the union of opposites, the alchemical symbol
hermaphrodite is one of alchemy’s prin- (f. 19, detail)
cipal symbols. Indeed, there is scarcely
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Decoction,
f. 21v
The left foreground of the picture is occu- perched on the head of the old man can
pied by a rendered brick oven with an in- be interpreted as an image of sublimation,
laid copper-coloured tub. In this cauldron, as the fl eeting distillate of the decoction
which is fi lled to the brim with liquid, an process, which, following putrefaction,
elderly man is sitting up to his chest in reunites with the physical residue in the
water. Perched on top of the man’s head, fl ask. In his entry on the “Colombe”, Per-
notable for its long dark hair and beard, is nety confi rms this association, pointing
a large white dove with shimmering gold out that it is the task of the souffl eur, in
plumage. With its wings raised, it seems pumping the bellows, to ensure the suc-
ready to take fl ight. In front of the oven is cess of the alchemical project.
a young man kneeling down on one knee. This depiction of decoction was in-
He pumps air into the fi re with a hand bel- spired by two miniatures from the Aurora
lows in a bid to keep the liquid at the right Consurgens – the sage in the cauldron per-
temperature. The young man's clothing tains to the fi fteenth and the kneeling souf-
– fi ne blue stockings and an orange-red fl eur to the thirteenth illustration in the
doublet underneath a black, silver-braid- manuscript. By incorporating an image
ed vest and white apron – suggests that of the sculptor Pygmalion into the mini-
he is no mere servant charged with the ature, which is set into the tall base on the
task of stoking the fi re. With his left elbow lower right, the painter added of his own
resting upon his knee, his gaze fastened accord a second episode from Ovid’s Met-
on the old man, the young man is clearly amorphoses. In so doing, he alluded to the
watching for changes of state. The grand, creation of a new, ideal human being – a
Venetian-style fantasy architecture in the mythological theme that congenially con-
background embellishes the scene. curs with the ideas of alchemy.
At this point in the Splendor Solis, men-
tion is made of a tale by Ovid in which a
wise old man, in a quest for rejuvenation, The dove,
has himself cut to pieces and boiled. The an image of
process of boiling, or decoction, will, he sublimation.
believes, bring his limbs back together as (f. 21, detail)
part of a rejuvenated and stronger whole.
Alchemy regards the decoction of matter
as equivalent to the operation of putrefac-
tion, insofar as it serves as a starting point
for the perfection process. The dove
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Sol,
f. 26r
Sunshine permeates the atmosphere on long tail, three long necks and one white,
the planet Sol, and its children are sunny one red and one black head.
in nature. An aureole of brilliant light When it comes to interpreting the con-
pierces the cloudy sky at its zenith; seated tents of this particular fl ask, no consensus
within is the radiant golden sun god. He has been reached to date. Hartlaub and
appears in a shiny metallic chariot drawn Roob argue that the creature is a three-
by two grey horses. In his hands the plan- headed lion symbolising iron vitriol; Alleau
etary god holds a staff topped by a sun. identifi es a three-headed dragon, while
Under the infl uence of the planet Sol, Lennep sees in the fi gure a depiction of
the people down on the earth below are Cerberus. Even the related passage in the
engaged in physical exercise alongside treatise, which deals with the purifi cation
aristocratic games and customs. In the left of matter, offers no real clue as to the iden-
foreground a prince is seated on a throne, tity and signifi cance of the animal symbol.
holding court in his orange, ermine-col- It may well be that the ambivalence was
lared coat. A group of men clad in fi ne, intentional, that the painter deliberately
brightly coloured garments has assembled created a monster which could be either
around him, partially replicating engrav- dragon or lion. Once again, we might look
ings by Albrecht Dürer. The inserted mini- to the inscription in the colour cartouche
ature contains a fl ask set against a purple of the Nuremberg manuscript for clues.
background. Beneath its vitreous shell There it is written: “Draconem nostrum vivum
a winged creature in hues of yellow and date devorandum leoni ferocissimo” (Give our
brown can be seen. The creature has a living dragon the wildest lion to swallow).
The people down on the
earth below are engaged in
physical exercise alongside
aristocratic games and
customs.
(f. 6r, detail)
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Venus,
f. 28r
As mentioned above, the Venus miniature, bagpiper and dancing couples is framed in
which is also dated 1582, should theoreti- the foreground by two lovers caressing in
cally be fi fth in the planet series. The rule the shade of a tree and in the background
of Venus is characterised by pleasure, by a couple setting out on a horse ride.
amusement, joy and beauty. Surmounting The interior miniature centres on a niche
the scenes of sensual activity is an image composed of pilasters and protruding col-
of the planetary goddess in her orange umns. The fl ask inside the niche contains
chariot with two doves harnessed to the a magnifi cent peacock spreading its tail.
front. In her left hand she holds an arrow In alchemy the peacock tail serves as
as her attribute, while securing Amor with a symbol of the shifting patterns of colour
her right hand. Leashed and blindfolded, which become visible in the fl ask once a
he is shown balancing on one leg upon the certain level of transmutation has been
seat, poised to shoot an arrow with his bow. reached. Being a noble oiseau, a bird typi-
The depiction of the planetary goddess, cally associated in the Middle Ages with the
enwreathed by clouds and illumined by a upper echelons of society, the peacock ap-
bright light, is accompanied by a winged pears at the fi fth level of the transmutation
heart which, pierced by an arrow, lingers process in the realm of Venus. Venturing a
in the sky like a leitmotif. full interpretation of the miniature, Petra
Around the inserted panel are com- Schramm regards the music-making, playing
positions of various human activities in and dancing “planet-children” as a prelude
the outdoors. A courtly scene at the lower to the “Chymical Wedding”, heightening
edge of the picture conveys corporeal and the human capacity to love. As it happens,
musical pleasures. The right-hand side is the two birds assigned to Venus were widely
reserved for the simple, rural stratum of so- regarded as aphrodisiacs: peacock meat was
ciety, a rather unusual clientele for the chil- believed to increase male potency and dove
dren of Venus. Here, a peasant fair with a meat the willingness of women.
Venus in her orange chariot
with two doves harnessed to
the front.
(f. 28r, detail)
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