Vol. 1: Twelve Keys of Basilius Valentinus
First published in Ein kurtz summarischer Tractat, von dem grossen Stein der Uralten... (Eisleben, 1599) without illustrations, it achieved wider distribution as part of the Tripus Aureus (Golden Tripod) compendium edited by Michael Maier and published at Frankfurt in 1618 by Lucas Jennis. Maier's illustrated edition of the work is by far the most influential. The emblematic engravings drew upon the allegorical descriptive imagery of the text and added coherence to the symbolism.
This volume also includes Of Natural and Supernatural Things by Basilius Valentinus.
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Author: Basilius Valentinus (Basil Valentine)
Editor: Philip Wheeler
Language: English
Illustrations: 12 woodcut engravings
Color: Black & White
Paperback: 206 pages
The following illustration is one of the twelve wonderfully symbolic woodcut engravings that are reproduced in this book.
Notes on the Article,
“All That Glitters…” by Dale Keiger,
Johns Hopkins Magazine, February 1999
The article describes some of the Alchemical studies of Lawrence Principe, who was at the time an Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University.
"Alchemy is not irrational," said Principe. "Nor is it haphazard. It was not shot-in-the-dark experimentation. It has a sound theoretical foundation."
The article includes a brief passage regarding Principe’s study of “The Twelve Keys,” in particular the Second Key:
“The second is an image of a winged figure of Mercury grasping a caduceus in each hand. At his feet is a set of wings, and to each side is a warrior. One warrior holds a sword around which is coiled a serpent; the other carries a blade with a bird perched on its tip. Principe, from his experience reading alchemical texts, unlocked the image: "The bird that flies [on one combatant's sword] represents something volatile, probably sal ammoniac. The snake is potassium nitrate. Combine those ingredients and heat them and you get a volatile acid--that's Mercury standing on the wings." In the background are images of the sun and moon: "The acid can dissolve gold [the sun] and corrode silver [the moon]."
Principe was convinced that the Keys represented recipes for creating compounds of gold that are easily converted into a gaseous form.