The Fermentation of the King and Queen (Rosarium Philosophorum)

This hand-colored woodcut depicts two nude, winged figures, a king and a queen, locked in a sexual embrace. The figures are positioned horizontally over a stylized pool of water, surrounded by green, grassy banks. Both wear golden crowns and possess large, feathered wings; the queen’s long blonde hair flows out behind her, while the king is positioned underneath. The composition is simple and emblematic, focusing on the intimate union of the two royal figures.

This image is the eleventh illustration from the 'Rosarium philosophorum' (1550), a seminal alchemical text that uses the 'Hieros gamos' or sacred marriage of the king and queen to symbolize the chemical process of fermentation, representing the stage where the substance is animated or brought to life.