An ornate engraved frontispiece depicting a scholar in a study or laboratory setting. The man, dressed in a voluminous fur-trimmed robe, stands in the center holding a sword, pointing its tip toward a circular mirror mounted on the wall to the left. Behind him, a window reveals a personified sun with a face, whose rays are directed toward a glass vessel sitting on a ledge. From the base of this vessel, a column of light or vapor descends into a large, swirling cloud of smoke on the floor. In the foreground and background, various scientific and scholarly objects are visible: a globe and a distilling furnace (alembic) on the left, a set square on the floor, and a shelf of books on the right. A draped banner at the top of the scene contains the title text.

Excellent Master

Giovanni Battista della Porta of Naples’

Book of Household, Art, and Wonders

in the High German Language