The Extraction of the Viscera (Aurora Consurgens)

The illumination depicts two pale, genderless figures in a seated position against a solid green field. The figure on the left, with blonde hair, holds a bowl and appears to be attending to the figure on the right. The second figure, also blonde, has a large, gaping incision in their midsection with visible red gore and a smaller puncture wound on their chest; they hold a vibrant red, anatomically stylized heart in their right hand. The style is characteristic of late medieval manuscript illumination, with flat color fields, bold outlines, and a non-naturalistic representation of human anatomy.

This image originates from the Aurora Consurgens, an alchemical treatise often attributed to Pseudo-Aquinas, and represents the 'separation' or 'mortification' stage of the alchemical process. The viscera and heart extraction serve as a metaphorical representation of the purification of the soul and the dissolution of the material body to achieve the Philosophers' Stone.