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LabyrinthDesigners & the Art of Fire

Alchemy works translations, commentaries, and presentations of hidden evidence in myths, art, nature, science history

  • Classical Alchemy
    • The State of the Art
    • An Intriguing Case
    • Opus Magnum Scheme
    • Turba Philosophorum’s Ambition
    • Areas of Interest
    • Index of the Names
    • Articles
    • Lexicon
  • Anatomy of an Alchemical Machine
  • The Sound Sacrifice
  • Boschius’s Ars Symbolica

Boschius’s Ars Symbolica

Symbolographia, sive, De arte symbolica sermones septem, 1701-1702, is a vast symbolic compendium so different from the collections of mythological iconography of the late Renaissance, such as Alciati or Cartari, just to give an idea.

The book by Jacob Bosch, known as Boschius adds a vision of the world influenced by the new discoveries of science and technology of the Age of Enlightenment, even if only in its infancy. Thus we will see that the concepts underlying the legends of the ancient deities will be interpreted through a vast collection of everyday objects and machinery. As well as ordinary gardens, landscapes, furniture and animals. All adorned with the sun and stars that we can all see in the sky, if only we would give them a little of our attention.

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.

Gaming Toys and Tools:

  • Chessboards and Pieces
  • Cylinder Mechanisms Featuring Letters*

Geometry Tools

  • Compasses, Dividers and Calipers*
  • Rulers
  • Triangles
  • Spheres

Pressure and Impact Tools and Equipment:

  • Pebbles and Basins
  • Books Printing
  • Anvils and Hammers*
  • Battering Rams*

Lifting and Balancing Tools and Equipment

  • Lifting machines°
  • Scales°

Orientation:

  • Nautical Compasses
  • Compasse Roses and Wind Roses
  • Globes
  • Maps and Plans
  • Polar Star

Time Tools

  • Clocks
  • Sundials
  • Hourglasses

Closing and Opening

  • Keys, Padlocks and Latches
  • Doors and Gates
  • Chests and Safes
  • Chains
  • Coffins and Tombs

Casing

  • Boxes and Caskets
  • Coffins and Tombs
  • Baskets
  • Jugs

Weapons:

  • Cannons
  • Rockets
  • Swords
  • Arrows and Bows

Chemical Tools:

  • Glasswares
  • Ovens
  • Lenses and Burning Mirrors

Landscaping and Greenery:

  • Gardens
  • Labyrinths and Mazes
  • Capitals and Bases
  • Columns and Pillars
  • Fountains
  • Flowers Planted in Pots

Natural Landscapes:

  • Trees
  • Flowers
  • Ponds
  • Boundary Stones, Steles, Capitals and Monuments in the Area

Atmospheric Phenomena:

  • Thunderstorms
  • Hail
  • Rainbows
  • Terrestrial Fires
  • Lights and Fires from the Sky

X:

  • X

Layout, Plans an Urban design

  • Squares and Porticoes

Buildings:

  • Pyramids

Interior Decor and Furniture:

  • Doors

X:

  • x

Marine Vessels:

  • X

X:

  • x

  • Classical Alchemy
    • The State of the Art
    • An Intriguing Case
    • Opus Magnum Scheme
    • Turba Philosophorum’s Ambition
    • Areas of Interest
    • Index of the Names
    • Articles
    • Lexicon
  • Anatomy of an Alchemical Machine
  • The Sound Sacrifice
  • Boschius’s Ars Symbolica

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