The Hermetical Triumph; or, The Victorious Philosophical Stone

The center of the image is dominated by a symbolic vertical axis. At the very top is a triple crown topped with a cross. Below it hangs a triangle containing a bird (likely a phoenix or eagle). Beneath the triangle is a patriarchal cross. Below the cross is a crown around which two serpents entwine a central rod in the manner of a caduceus. This rod is rooted in another crown that sits atop a spherical alchemical vessel filled with fire.

To the left of this central pillar is a radiant moon, and to the right is a radiant sun with a human face, both emitting beams toward the center.

In the lower half of the engraving, two rocky hills flank the central vessel. Each hill has a cavernous opening (mine entrance) from which a stream or path flows toward a central point. At the very bottom foreground, a circular pit or furnace contains a large, burgeoning flame.

original: "De cavernis Metallorum occultus est, qui Lapis est venerabilis HERMES." This is a cryptic allusion to the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, suggesting that the Philosopher's Stone is derived from the hidden properties within raw metals.