Browse through illustrations of exotic and mythical creatures and discover the famed "Coburg ivories," an astounding collection of crafted artifacts. Marvel at the unicorn horns (narwhal tusks), gems, rare coral growths, Murano glasswork, paintings and peculiar mechanical automata. From the Grand Duke Francesco I de' Medici and Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II to Archduke Ferdinand II of Habsburg, these aristocratic virtuosos acquired, selected, and displayed the objects in real-life catalogues that represented the entire world-spanning architecture, interior design, painting, sculpture, gemology, geology, botany, biology and taxonomy, astrology, alchemy, anthropology, ethnography, and history. The Wunderkammer, or "cabinet of curiosities," saw collectors gathering objects from many strands of artistic, scientific, and intellectual endeavor, in an ambitious attempt to encompass all of humankind's knowledge in a single room. From early Christian mystics to the illustrations of William Blake and the Romantics, this collection spans science, philosophy, and otherworldly mystery over the ages.". Fables, folklore, and fantasy-this compendium of all things alchemical and mystical gathers centuries of esoteric mythology in the form of writings, drawings, paintings, and prints. The roots of surrealism and many other more recent artistic movements can be found in this treasure trove. Each richly illustrated chapter begins with an introduction and quotes from alchemists by specialist Alexander Roob. Even for those with no knowledge of the fascinating history of alchemy, this book is a delight to explore. The enigmatic hieroglyphs of cabalists, Rosicrucians, and freemasons are shown to be closely linked with the early scientific illustrations in the fields of medicine, chemistry, optics, and color theory. From the publisher: "Contains images of Christian mysticism, art of the romantic era, hieroglyphs of cabbalists and freemasons, and early scientific illustrations in the fields of medicine, chemistry, optics and colour theory The Hermetic Museum takes readers on a magical mystery tour spanning an arc from the medieval cosmogram and images of Christian mysticism, through the fascinating world of alchemy to the art of the Romantic era. Bound in the original full color laminated pictorial boards. Profusely illustrated - about half in beautiful full color. Pages are fresh, crisp, clean and unmarked - obviously never read. The cover has just a tiny bit of very mild shelfwear (like you sometimes find in any new book store).
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