Symbolographia, sive, De arte symbolica sermones septem, 1701-1702, is an iconographic work that goes beyond the expectations of the most eager to be amazed scholar of Baroque symbolography.
The book by Jacob Bosch, aka Boschius, is a bottomless pit of symbolic imagery from which a student of Alchemy will not only struggle to emerge, but will also severely test her/his scant convictions. Ultimately, Boschius’s Ars Symbolica is pure erudition in the baroque style of the eighteenth century—a unique era of heroic and humble dedication to the preservation of ancient wisdom in every single detail.
Like most cabinets of curiosities, to which it can certainly be compared, Ars Symbolica requires knowledge – or at least investigation – of classes of symbols, which Boschius, despite formal indexes and groupings, shuffles like a deck of cards fallen to the ground.
Instruments and Tools:
- Chessboards and Pieces
- Pebbles and Basins
- Ink Balls
- Compasses
- Cylinder Mechanisms Featuring Letters