The Solar and Lunar Joust

The scene is set against a solid red background, depicting two figures engaged in a ceremonial tilt or joust. On the left, a figure with a radiant, golden solar disc for a head wears dark, fitted armor and sits astride a light-colored lion; they hold a lance pointed toward their opponent. On the right, a nude female figure with a dark, lunar disc for a head sits atop a dark-winged griffin, holding a lance pointed toward the solar figure. She carries a shield emblazoned with a radiant sun-face, while the solar figure carries a dark, possibly eclipse-themed shield. Between the mounts, a larger, secondary lion stands in profile, looking toward the griffin.

This illumination is derived from the *Aurora Consurgens*, an influential 15th-century alchemical treatise traditionally attributed to Thomas Aquinas. It represents the chemical marriage and the union of opposites (Sol and Luna) necessary for the transformation of base matter into the Philosopher's Stone.