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The queen is aureoled by a rainbow of yellow and blue. Lennep comments that the original manuscript includes an inscription, 'Filius natus ex me, major est me' (the son born of me is greater than me). This image is one of a sub-series in the 'Splendor solis', showing crowned alchemical flasks containing symbols of the various stages of the Great Work. In the original manuscript, scenes of symbolically relevant activities in village life are shown outside the image, along with an astronomical sign at the top.
Title
A Queen Dressed in Blue, Representing Mercury, in a Crowned Alchemical Flask
Medium
watercolour on paper (?)
Measurements
H 42.3 x W 22.1 cm
Accession number
38826i
Acquisition method
presumed to be part of the collection formed by Henry S. Wellcome
Work type
Drawing & watercolour
Wellcome Collection
183 Euston Road, London, Greater London NW1 2BE England
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A Queen Dressed in Blue, Representing Mercury, in a Crowned Alchemical Flask Wellcome Collection -
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