The Golden Fleece or Golden Treasure and Art Chamber

Splendor Solis.

...thus it unites itself, which is its beginning and birth. It is compared to all things in the world, whether visible or invisible, whether possessing a soul or spirit or not. Likewise, it is compared to the physical and the animal, the dead and the living, the mineral and the growing The "growing" refers to the vegetable kingdom, completing the traditional "Three Kingdoms of Nature" (Mineral, Vegetable, Animal) often cited in alchemy.; to the elements and their compositions; to hot and cold things. Likewise, it is compared to all birds, and in sum, to all things that may exist from the earth up to the heavens. Among all these, there are for this Art these two dispositions original: "geschicklicheyten"; this refers to the inherent qualities, aptitudes, or states of the matter that allow it to be worked upon by the alchemist. mentioned above, which the Philosophers signify in two words: the Woman and the Man, or the Milk and the Cream. Whoever does not understand these knows nothing, nor does he understand anything of the cooking original: "kochung"; also known as decoction, this refers to the steady, controlled application of heat used to mature the alchemical "Stone" over a long period. of this Art. Let this now be enough said regarding the beginning of the

An ornate, symmetrical decorative tailpiece (cul-de-lampe) featuring intricate scrollwork and floral acanthus leaf motifs. Two small grotesque masks or faces are integrated into the design: one at the top center and a smaller one near the bottom tip of the ornament.