The Souls Rising from the Fire (Aurora Consurgens)

A miniature painting in a manuscript depicts a vibrant scene of transformation. Five pale, nude human figures are shown floating upward against a bright blue background, exiting a chaotic sea of red and orange flames. Below them, to the right, a stylized white bird with detailed wing plumage is partially engulfed by the fire. The composition is contained within a thin green border, emphasizing the contrast between the ascending figures and the terrestrial, burning source.

This image belongs to the 'Aurora Consurgens', an alchemical treatise often attributed to Pseudo-Aquinas. It serves as an allegorical illustration of the 'sublimation' or 'distillation' process, where the volatile spirit is separated from the material body through the agency of fire.