Alban Thomas Atwood.

original Latin: "Hic labor hoc opus est." This is a famous quotation from Virgil’s Aeneid (Book VI), referring to the immense difficulty of returning from the underworld. In an alchemical context, it signifies the arduous nature of the "Great Work" of spiritual transformation.

A printed bookplate featuring heraldic and symbolic imagery. At the top, a flowing banner contains the Latin motto translated above. Below the banner is a crest depicting a dragon or wyvern’s head with a protruding tongue, emerging from a ducal coronet. Centered below the crest is a large Ouroboros—a serpent forming a circle by consuming its own tail—which symbolizes eternal return and the unity of all things. It encloses a radiant sixteen-pointed star. The entire arrangement is framed within a rectangular plate impression.

Thomas South.

Thomas South (1785–1855) was a prominent researcher of Hermetic philosophy. He and his daughter, Mary Anne Atwood (née South), are best known for their collaborative work on A Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery, a foundational text of the alchemical revival.