SPLENDOR SOLIS: WITH ITS FIGURES, WHEREIN ARE DESCRIBED ALL THE ANNUNICATORY SIGNS OF THE STONE OF THE PHILOSOPHERS
Book Details + Condition: The Alchemical Press / Holmes Publishing Group (Sequim, WA), 2005. Softcover. 47 pages, with b&w illustrations. Firm binding; light shelf wear to covers; interior is clean and free of markings. Produced in the 16th century, the treatise called Splendor Solis (The Splendor of the Sun) was originally written in German and describes the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary alchemical substance which was said to have the power of turning metals into gold. The manuscript was traditionally attributed to Salomon Trismosin, the alleged teacher of Paracelsus, but the real author remains unknown. The codex is illustrated by a series of nineteen illuminations of alchemical content, which made the book extremely influential in Medieval science. It is regarded as the classic illuminated manuscript on alchemy. It sets forth the philosophy of alchemy, in which the alchemist intervenes in the mechanics of creation while at all times remaining in harmony with nature and supporting its growth.
