Emblem 17 The Rosarium Philosophorum

The Demonstration of Perfection. A hermaphrodite with bat-like wings, stands upon a small hill in which three snakes attempt to devour each other. It holds in its right hand a cup or chalice within which are three serpents, and its its left hand a coiled snake. Behind it is a lion. On the left is a Sun tree with thirteen Sun flowers, while on the right a pelican nourishes its young with its own blood.