Description of the Most Principal Mineral Ores and Mining Methods

A woodcut style bookplate for Dr. Ernst Darmstaedter is set within a square frame. At the center, a nude male figure stands with arms upraised inside a circular border. Within the circle are various planetary symbols including Saturn, the Moon, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, and Mars. To the left of the figure’s torso is the word Sun original: "SOL" and to the right is the astronomical symbol for the Sun. The circle is surrounded by a radiant halo of flame like lines. In the bottom left corner of the frame is the initial I and in the bottom right corner is D. This imagery reflects the Renaissance concept of the microcosm, where the human body represents a small scale version of the entire universe.

Dr. ERNST DARMSTAEDTER

From the library of, Sun, Ernst Darmstaedter, planetary symbols, astrology, alchemy