The Holy Roman emperor, King Rudolph II is a mysterious figure. He failed as a politician but earned a place in history for his pursuit of beauty and knowledge.

https://www.thecollector.com/rudolph-ii-...t-emperor/

This paper explores the chemistry of mercury as described in ancient alchemical literature.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2123171119

A luxury edition comprising principles of an ancient field of knowledge, the tradition of which is very much alive. Perfect gift for philosophers, stone seekers and art lovers. Readers of Medievalists.net can get 15% off the price.

https://www.medievalists.net/2022/11/new...dor-solis/

Newton's interests were admittedly drawn towards a decidedly non-scientific subject, alchemy. Does that investigation invalidate Newton's earlier achievement, asks theoretical physicist and philosopher, Carlo Rovelli in this article:

https://tinyurl.com/yrd7vcr8

Rovelli's new book here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084TF77N2/r...ost2022-20


   

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https://www.treasuresinarchives.com/digi...-rudolf-ii

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https://www.treasuresinarchives.com/digi...ist-manual

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Johannes Huniades (1576-1646) was a Hungarian goldsmith and alchemist, resident in England from 1608. He worked for Arthur Dee (English physician and alchemist) and Theodore de Mayerne.(Swiss physician who advanced the theories of Paracelsus).
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Tree diagram, Arbor Philosophica, of Kircher's analysis of the structure of human knowledge of the world.

Athanasius Kircher, Ars magna sciendi, in XII Libros Digesta, Tome 2, 1669.


   

I found this engraving hiding in a backwater of the Internet. I cannot remember seeing it before.

It is, apparently, from Alexander von Suchten, Darstellung alchemistischer Elemente, 1686.

It is quite detailed but I cannot make out all the elements in its construction
At the bottom, we see various alchemical authors.

   

Interesting book by Timothy Hogan.

https://www.scribd.com/doc/278082860/Alc...-Hogan-pdf
https://www.scribd.com/document/39589200...ook-Review

'I hope to show that all the signs, symbols, lectures, and titles of the Masonic ritual owe their origin to the alchemical tradition, and that through a better
understanding of these alchemical keys, a new science is open to the Master Craftsman which can operate on the physical, mental, and spiritual levels of man's being.'