Vulcan: Eight Classical Gods

This engraving depicts the god of fire as a muscular, bearded figure draped in a simple loincloth. He holds a hammer in his right hand and a decorative helmet in his left, representing his role as the divine smith. Two winged putti hold a laurel wreath above the arched niche, which is flanked by classical columns.

In the Western esoteric tradition, particularly alchemy, Vulcan represents the transformative power of 'philosophical fire' and the art of the laboratory. Paracelsus and later alchemists often used 'Vulcan' as a title for the laborant or the internal force that separates the pure from the impure through heat.