In pre-modern Europe, alchemy was a changing science. Medieval alchemists sought a panacea to deal with a public health crisis (the Black Death); tried to convert ordinary metals into gold and silver to solve the problem of precious metal shortages; and also tried to repair the old link between alchemy and fraud.
The Princeton University Library, "Through the Dark Mirror: Alchemy and the Ripley Scrolls 1400-1700", shows how European alchemists established the Golden Age of alchemy on the basis of the Greco-Egyptian period, the Islamic world, and the late Middle Ages. Illustrations of alchemy can also be presented as practical art and ancient philosophical traditions.
Ripley's Scrolls, 1624
In medieval Europe, alchemy was a science of change. Alchemists try to achieve extraordinary physical transformations: whether it's converting base metals into gold and silver, or creating elixirs to prolong life. They saw alchemy as a practical artistic and philosophical tradition and used allegorical language and obscure fantasy images to disguise the secrets of alchemy.
The Ripley Scrolls are iconic manuscripts of alchemy, produced in late 15th-century England, probably for royal patrons, of unknown origin, and later attributed to George Ripley, an English alchemist and author of Compounds of Alchemy (1471). Over time, a new generation of readers has attempted to decipher the meaning of the images in the scrolls and incorporate new perspectives to reflect attitudes towards nature, experimentation, and English alchemy.
The Princeton University Library currently houses two of the 23 volumes of the Ripley Scrolls, which played a central role in disseminating knowledge of alchemy.
The Ripley Scrolls, circa 1590
The designer of the Ripley Scroll should be familiar with the reading of various illustrated scrolls, and he follows the ancient book structure represented by the Egyptian papyrus scroll, emphasizing the continuity of illustrations and texts. "The makers used allegorical language and vague imagery to cover up the secrets of alchemy, and this obscure, fantastical imagery culminated in Ripley's Scrolls." Jennifer Rampling, curator of the exhibition and an associate professor of history at Princeton University.
The title of the exhibition, "Through the Mirror of Darkness" (from the New Testament), emphasizes the importance of studying alchemy more deeply through the surface; at the same time, one must refract alchemy itself through its historical practices and allegorical imagery.
Exhibition site
A philosopher, or a liar
In the popular imagination, alchemy is often associated with quacks and fraud. The "fake alchemist" even appears as a metaphor in early satirical texts, although there is little evidence directly that the alchemist deliberately defrauded. In fact, alchemists often used this metaphor in their own writings, hoping to draw a line between the erudite "philosopher" and the fool who could not decipher the secret language of alchemical texts.
In Sebastian Brant's satirical work Narrenschiff (1494), a woodcut depicts Brent's depiction of fraud, in which he juxtaposes an alchemist in a clown hat (left) with a treacherous wine merchant (right) attacking a fake alchemist peddling useless knowledge.
Sebastian Brent, Inside Page of The Fool's Ship
Alchemy was widely used in 16th- and 17th-century Britain, prompting the playwright Ben Jonson to respond with drama. The Alchemist, first performed in 1610, portrays the alchemist as a liar (or fooled). In fact, more than two centuries ago, similar figures appeared in the works of Chaucer, the first English poet. Jonson was also well aware of the "alchemical literature" of his time, and his play The Alchemist quoted several English poems related to alchemy, including George Ripley's The Complex of Alchemy and Letter to Edward IV (1471).
Ben Johnson, The Alchemist
Mentoring and apprenticeship
Although alchemy in the West dates back to the Hellenistic period, Europe was still a new thing until the 12th century, with texts derived mainly from Latin translations of Arabic texts, which practitioners positioned as learning rather than craftsmanship in order to establish prestige. To this end, they sought authority in history, from the Greco-Egyptian sage Hermes Trismegistus (a Greek god with wings on sandals, wands, hypnotic flutes, and other treasures, alchemists often affixed Hermes seals to their raw materials, indicating that secrets could not be leaked) to biblical figures, alchemy as a secret knowledge, continued in a master-apprentice way.
Hermes is also considered the author of the Complete Works of Alchemy (also known as Hermetic Corpus), and although the Alchemical Encyclopedia was actually written in the second and third centuries, Hermes was long considered a contemporary of Moses, a misunderstanding that gave greater prestige to the so-called works of Hermes. Its first chapter, Pimander, is presented in the form of a master-disciple dialogue.
A page in the Shepherd of Man, published in Paris in 1505.
In 1463, the Complete Book of Alchemy was restored by Cosimo de' Medici, who received a Byzantine manuscript containing 14 articles, which in the same year were published by the Florenza humanist Marcilio. Marsilio Ficino was translated into The Latin version. Published in 1471 with the help of printing.
Under the name of Franciscus Epimetheu, House of Philosophy, 1582 (Basel)
In alchemical woodcuts from Germany, the statue of Hermes is represented under the vault. The old man in the painting is on a throne, holding a book related to secret wisdom. The scene is depicted several times in medieval images, and the book in his hand is reimagined as an illustrated book.
Anon. Maria in Dialogue with Aros, 18th century, France
Maria, a Jew who was one of the authorities on alchemy in medieval Europe, used a series of mysterious analogies to teach her students the secrets of alchemy to Aros. By the 15th century, the book had been translated into Medieval English poetry and copied into the Ripley Scrolls, an 18th-century French translation, possibly a translation of English poetry.
Latin Bible, England, c. 1260-1270
Authors of alchemical books often attribute success to God's grace or revelation. In religious iconography, this wisdom may have fallen from the sky and been copied into volumes by humans. On a page of the 13th-century Bible, glowing capital letters show the apostle Paul sitting with a scroll, representing his letters to the Corinthians.
The Philosopher's Bottle
As a practical art, alchemy requires tools such as flasks and furnaces, as well as techniques for managing complex chemical experiments. The Ripley Scrolls demonstrate practice in a glass flask called the Pelican, which depicts toads dissolving into droplets resembling blood. It is called "Pelican" because pelicans pierce their chests with their long beaks and feed their offspring with blood, which is reminiscent of religious sacrifices.
Modern replica, Double Pelican Flask ("gemissaries"), 1981
In a 15th-century drawing depicting an alchemical apparatus, on the left is a closed furnace that guarantees constant heat in the flask. The delicate distillation unit on the right is attached to a gourd-shaped flask, which is also the "Pelican" model depicted in the Ripley Scroll.
False name of Raymond Loule (14th century), alchemical drawings (Codicillus), circa 1450-1500 (northern Italy or Germany)
A well-structured furnace is essential to maintain temperature for a long time. The various furnaces are described in the 13th-century Book of Melting Pots, one of which has a design similar to that described in the Ripley Scrolls.
The 13th-century Book of the Melting Pot
Binding to chemistry
The second volume of the Ripley Scrolls tells the story of the creation of the "Sage Stone" (the Golden Stone, an item of Western alchemy legend).
The divine power of the Sage Stone has been depicted by alchemists as divine, and there is a passage in the Museum of Alchemy that says: "People call the Stone of the Sage the Stone of the Sage, which is the oldest, most mysterious, and most unknown, a blessing from heaven, and a moral and divine power, but it is secret to the ignorant." ”
In the descriptions of alchemists, the Sage Stone is both a chemical combination of the sun and the moon, symbolizing the principle of opposition between hot and dry, cold and wet, as well as body, soul and spirit.
Anthropomorphizing the planets of the universe is common in all disciplines, and the illustrated encyclopedia The Miracle of Creation, written by the astronomer Al-Qazwīnī (died 1283), is widely read in the Islamic world. In the book, he portrays planets as human beings, such as Mercury reading and Venus playing musical instruments.
In the history of Islam, Muslim scholars have long debated the efficacy of alchemy. Orthodox religious scholars were mostly opposed to alchemy, while most natural scholars, while not believing that ordinary metals could be turned into gold, accepted the basic idea of alchemy, and Kazvigni wrote about alchemy.
Kazvini, The Miracle of Creation, 18th century
The tradition of linking planets to matter (Gold-Sun, Silver-Moon, Mercury-Mercury, Copper-Venus, Iron-Mars, Tin-Jupiter, Lead-Saturn) in works of alchemy and metallurgy is embodied in the woodcuts of the Italian painter Domenico Beccafumi (1486-1551). Under the leadership of saturn's god, human workers engaged in metallurgical work, and the lame posture of the workers hinted at the corrosion of lead; liquid volatile mercury, which was manifested as the winged Mercury messenger.
Bekafmi, The Blacksmith, c. 1525-1540
The Tree of Philosophy
Mind maps are the central fixture of the logic system of the Mallorcan philosopher Ramon Llull (1232–1315). This device was used by medieval Arab astrologers to calculate ideas by mechanical means. Alchemists in the 14th century used Raymond Luer's diagrams to express the relationship between chemical materials and processes, and a large number of texts written under the name Raymond Luhl appeared. Although the historical Raymond Lohl did not agree with the possibility of metal transmutation, he was still given the name of the authority of European alchemy. While the Ripley Scrolls do not use mind maps, some of the images do reflect the teachings of "pseudo-Luer."
Raymond Loor, Ars Brevis (Ultimate Art), circa 1450 (England)
The writings of Raymond Lull were widely circulated in medieval Europe. A 15th-century miscellaneous collection from Oxford or Cambridge includes a simplified version of Raymond Luhr's mind map (using different Arabic letters to represent different philosophical ideas. By combining numerical values related to letters and categories, new insights and ideas are created). The manuscript was later owned by Sir Henry Percy (1564–1632), Earl of Northumberland, patron of the English astronomer, mathematician and alchemist Thomas Harriet.
Under the name of Raymond Luhr, The Book of Nature's Secrets, circa 1498 (Venice)
A 15th-century manuscript preserves a "Luer style" system of mechanical paper discs that shows how mineral and organic components were combined through alchemy. Written in the second half of the 14th century, the Book of Nature's Secrets is one of the most influential alchemical treatises of early modern Europe and an important source of the Ripley Scrolls, which records a solvent distilled from wine, "pseudo-Luhr" medicinally.
Provider
The last part of The Ripley Scroll brings us face-to-face with the alchemists: they are not solemn philosophers, but images of plainly dressed, holding the pilgrim's cane, which also hints at the image of the scroll's author. In some versions, he faces a gorgeously dressed king – which may be a clue to the recipient of the scroll.
Although alchemy was illegal in 15th-century England, alchemists could still seek royal sustenance. Many British rulers, including Henry VI, Edward IV, Henry VIII, and Elizabeth I, did issue permits and sponsor alchemical projects. The Ripley Scrolls were often given as gifts to their offerings by alchemists to arouse the royal family's curiosity about alchemy.
Under the guise of Aristotle, The Secret of Secrets, circa 1425-1450 (Brittany)
In the Medieval French version of Secret Secrets, a miniature painting shows the author (or translator) presenting a book to the King of France. In this book Aristotle advises his student Alexander the Great on topics such as alchemy and kingship. The reason why he used the name of Aristotle was to some extent close to the royal family's providers.
John Dee, Monas hieroglyphica, 1564
The Elizabethan mathematician and alchemist John Dee used his knowledge of alchemy to seek patronage in many parts of Europe. Monas hieroglyphica, the only treatise he wrote on alchemy during his travels, was dedicated to Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor. In England, John Dee discussed the book with Queen Elizabeth I. Later, in Prague, he gave the book to Maximilian's successor, Rudolf II.
Depict great work
The Ripley Scrolls represent an early attempt at alchemy in graphics, and advances in design and printing have brought new developments to alchemy. In addition to the "instruction manual" style of description, 17th-century prints expressed a broader relationship between art and nature, prayer and practice, and heaven and earth. This progress of images is not unique to alchemy, but is used at all levels of knowledge to describe the universe and nature's systems of knowledge in a more vivid form.
Heinrich Khunrath (1560-1605), Fusion of amphitheaters, 1609 (Hanover)
Physical chemistry and divine magic merge in the amphitheater representing wisdom, and the author of the book is Dr. Paracel and alchemist Heinrich Quinras. The relationship between the sacred, the supernatural, and the natural realm is reflected in a series of delicate circular prints—most notably an etching of Khunrath's "laboratory," in which an alchemist is seen praying, which is God's realm, and on the right is a well-equipped laboratory representing the kingdom of nature.
Kirch, Underworld, 1655 (Amsterdam)
In 1638, the Jesuit polymath Athanasius Kircher gazed at the crater of Mount Vesuvius. Years later, in Underworld, he envisioned a network of blazing underground reservoirs that fueled volcanic eruptions. Based on medieval theories, he proposed that volcanic thermal energy form "sulfur" and "mercury", through a process similar to fractionation, and then form different metals and minerals.
Robert Frode (1574-1637), Microcosm History, vol. 1, 1617 (Oppenheim, Germany)
Throughout the two volumes of The History of the Big World and The History of the Microcosm, the physician Robert Froth explored the correspondence between the big world (the universe) and the small world (humanity) with exquisite geometric diagrams. His cosmology drew on the philosophy of Neoplatonism and the writings of Paracelsus and conceived it as a chemical separation on a cosmic scale.
Robert Frode, Philosophical Fusion, 1638 (Netherlands)
Flord also used circles to express complex metaphysical relationships. The different circles represent different meanings of God, the world, etc., and now seem to have the shadow of modern art.
Exhibition site
The refining of gold was the main goal of European alchemy, and modern science has proven that alchemy is not feasible because gold is a metallic element of atomic number 79, not a compound. However, since the 12th century, the Arab and Greek alchemical literature translated by the Western world and the large number of experiments that accompanied it have accumulated experience in chemical experiments, invented a variety of experimental instruments, and learned about many natural minerals. The image of alchemy also has artistic value.
The exhibition will run until July 17, and this article is compiled from the Princeton University Library website.