THE HERMETIC

MUSE-

UM

REFORMED

AND

ENLARGED.

❦ (o) ❧

FRANKFURT,

At the house of Hermann von Sande.

1678. 1678

Engraved by M. Merian original: "M. Merian fec" [abbreviation for fecit, meaning "made this"]. This refers to Matthäus Merian the Younger (1621–1687), a member of a famous family of Swiss-German engravers known for their detailed scientific and occult illustrations.

The title "Reformed and Enlarged" indicates that this is the second, expanded edition of the work. The original 1625 edition contained fewer tracts; this 1678 version is considered the definitive collection of Hermetic (alchemical and mystical) wisdom, compiling twenty-two essential treatises into one "Museum."

The title page is surrounded by an intricate engraving described in the previous page's context. It features a hierarchy of knowledge: the Muses and Apollo (representing the arts and divine light) at the peak, planetary deities (representing the metals) in the middle, and the practical laboratory work of the Great Work—the process of creating the Philosopher's Stone—at the base.