The Crowning of Nature The Doctrine of the Chief Medicine Explained in Sixty Seven Hieroglyphicks by Anonimus the Cabalist Edited with Commentary by Adam McLean
Publishing: 1980 Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourcework; First Edition
Limited Edition to 250 numbered copies of which this is #160 Signed, Numbered and coloured by hand 15th February 1980 by Adam McLean.
Various states of this book exist, printed on different paper stocks, bound in different materials. This is one of the few copies that contain McLeans hand-coloured illustrations. Thus, the thicker paperstock is contained therein. The plates were painted using a mix of acrylic and watercolor. No other copies with the hand coloured illustrations are currently available at the time of this listings.
Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourcework No. 3."One of the most enigmatic of all alchemical works, The Crowning of Nature is a detailed description of the alchemical process, through a series of 67 stages which are pictured as taking place in retorts. The Crowning of Nature, which was well known in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, was never published as a printed book, but was widely circulated in manuscript form. For this first edition of the work, Adam McLean has consulted seven manuscript versions, and includes an English text that accompanies some versions. The Crowning of Nature provides a link between the soul development of Alchemy and the work of the physical process, as these illustrations are descriptive of both of these realms. The set of basic symbols undergoes a metamorphosis of form and colour, through a series of cycles, that unfolds in the 67 illustrations. An Introduction surveys the history and assesses the importance of the work against the background of the alchemical tradition. Adam McLean provides a commentary on the process pictured in the series of illustrations and suggests some ways in which we can approach the spiritual ideas woven into the patterns of symbolism."
Condition: hardbound in faux-leather, condition Fine.