Collection of Alchemical Manuscripts

original: "Fixatio. Principato."

A hand-colored alchemical illustration shows a large, round-bottomed glass vessel, also known as a cucurbit or flask, with a narrow neck. A golden-yellow, spiral-patterned conical stopper seals the vessel. The lower half of the vessel is filled with vibrant orange and red flames that rise toward the center. Within the heart of these flames, at the bottom of the vessel, rests a dark, solid sphere. A decorative, waving white scroll or banner floats above the neck of the vessel. It contains the text 38. Fixation. Sovereignty. The entire illustration is contained within a light rectangular frame on a cream-colored manuscript page.

Fixation: The process of making a volatile substance stable so that it no longer evaporates or changes when exposed to heat.
original: "Fixatio"
Fixation: a chemical operation where a previously "spirit-like" or volatile substance is made "body-like" and permanent.

Sovereignty: This term refers to the primacy or dominion of the fixed substance over the volatile elements.
original: "Principato"

Alchemy: The philosophical and chemical tradition of purifying, maturing, and perfecting certain objects or substances.

Vessel: A container, typically made of glass or clay, used to hold the materials during the heating process.

Flames: Symbols of the external heat or "secret fire" that drives the transformation of the matter.

Orb: The dark sphere at the bottom represents the "Earth" or the fixed body that has survived the fire.