Project on painting of Alchemical Emblems

When I first saw alchemical emblems back in the 1960's I became immediately engaged and fascinated by these images. In the late 1970's I made some versions of alchemical emblems in oils. I was not at that time thinking of selling these but merely was interested in exploring this medium but some of these I gave to friends. I still have two of these remaining in my collection.



At that time I was extremely poor and could not conceive of ever selling these so I abandoned oil painting for some decades. I wish I had found the time and energy then to work on painting as I am sure I would now have quite a substantial portfolio of material.

In 2000 I returned to painting alchemical emblems in oils. Among the first I tackled were two of the images from the Splendor Solis.

   

I was also inspired by images from the Bonacina series and painted one of these, the well known Perreal illumination 'Nature chides the misguided alchemist', a wonderful illustration of the alchemical book with seven seals, part of the Ripley Scroll, and a composite image based on the ouroborous.

               

I sold a number of these to a collector and others to individuals.
In 2002 I found time to work on only a few paintings both of which I was commissioned to make. One was the Black Sun from the Splendor Solis and the other was the Sun from the de Sphaera astronomical manuscript.

   
Late in 2007 I began making a series of facsimile paintings of the eighteen images in the Solidonius manuscripts which I used as illustrations in my edition of the work which was issued in the Magnum Opus series.

In late 2008 and early 2009 I worked on making facsimiles of the full Bonacina series which I used as illustrations for my edition of the work in the Magnum Opus series.


Later in 2009 and into 2010 I made a new version of one of the Splendor Solis images, this from the Nuremberg manuscript, two pieces from the Zoroaster manuscript and a copy of a version of the Buch der heiligen Dreifaltigkeit.

           

I currently (late 2011) have a number of alchemical emblems still half completed, awaiting my finding time to work on them.