This elaborate engraved title border features various alchemical and mythological allegories. At the top center, an oval vignette depicts a group of deities or muses seated on clouds, with a central figure playing a lyre. To the top left, a phoenix rises from flames, symbolizing rebirth; to the top right, an eagle rises from a similar pyre. Flanking the top are the figures of Minerva (the goddess of wisdom) with a shield and owl, and Mercury (the messenger of the gods and patron of alchemy) with his caduceus staff. The sides contain four oval vignettes: on the left, a man pouring water from a vessel and a man holding a spade; on the right, a figure holding a flaming bowl and an elderly man with a walking staff, representing the different labors of the Work. At the bottom corners are rectangular panels: the left shows a solar figure with a sun-shield and a lion; the right shows a lunar figure with a crescent moon and a crab. The bottom center oval depicts a landscape where a woman holds a hexagram (the Seal of Solomon), while an alchemist or philosopher gestures toward a small furnace in the background. The engraver's mark "M. Merian made this" is visible at the bottom right.

THE

HERMETIC

MUSEUM

RESTORED

AND

ENLARGED