Page 15

PLATE I.—THE SPLENDOR OF THE SUN original Latin: "Splendor Solis"

The Arms of the Art, original Latin: "Arma Artis." This title refers to the heraldic "Coat of Arms" of Alchemy. In this period, giving a craft or science a coat of arms was a way of declaring its nobility and divine sanction.

The illustration on this page serves as a majestic opening to the work. It depicts a heraldic shield featuring a golden sun with a human face, a central symbol for the perfection and "gold" sought by the alchemist. Above the shield sits a helmet topped with a crescent moon and another radiant sun.

The scene is framed by a lush, ornate border filled with realistic flowers and animals—including an owl, a heron, and monkeys. One monkey is even shown playing a lute, perhaps suggesting that the "Art" of alchemy requires the same harmony and skill as music. In the background, two men in Renaissance-style clothing are glimpsed through an archway, grounding this mystical process in the human world.