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First Key of Basilius Valentinus Basil Valentine.

This alchemical emblem illustrates the First Key. The central figures are a King and Queen in royal clothing. The King holds a scepter and the Queen holds a three-petaled flower and a fan. They stand in a landscape with a castle on a hill. In the lower left, a wolf leaps over a flaming crucible. In the lower right, an elderly, partially nude man representing Saturn or Time stands over a fire. He holds a long scythe and appears to be heating a small cup. This scene symbolizes the purification of gold (the King) using antimony (represented by the wolf) and the role of lead (Saturn) in the process.