Solomon's Secret Arts by Paul Kléber Monod Page A

Jachin and Boaz. The letter “O” marks the Holy of Holies, surrounded by the Treasure Chambers—filled, perhaps, with the fruits of Solomon's alchemy.

    10 William Stukeley's conception of Avebury as a winged serpent is clearly represented in this engraving from Abury, A Temple of the British Druids (1743). The head of the snake is at lower right, while the concentric circles at the centre are the (not very convincing) wings. Compare this image to the serpent and winged dragon in Plate 7, which are alchemical symbols for mercury.

    11 Duncan Campbel's portrait, from his Secret Memoirs , sports a magnificent wig that emphasizes his respectability. The absence of occult symbols is notable, but emphasis is placed on Campbel's eyes, which served as his conduit to predicting the future. He is a polite prophet, not a magician.

    12 The third of A.D. Freher's “Three Tables,” showing Man moving towards a spiritual or regenerated state, as illustrated in the third volume of The Works of Jacob Behmen (1772). These elaborate cutout engravings were arranged in multiple folded layers that could be lifted up to reveal changes to the body and the spirit. As each layer was raised, the appearance and spiritual organs of the earthly Man progressively degenerated and then were gradually restored. In keeping with Freher's original designs, the figures are surrounded by astrological signs and the stages in their transformations are represented by celestial or alchemical symbols.

    13 The beaming countenance of Ebenezer Sibly, from his Medical Mirror (1794), displays the confidence of a Member of the Royal College of Physicians, Aberdeen. The initials “F. R. H. S.” probably refer to a branch of the Harmonic Society, which was dedicated to magnetic healing; the “R” may stand for Rosicrucian rather than Royal. No doubt Sibly was a founding Fellow. The only other occult reference here is to Mercury, who bears alchemical symbols on his shield. The vignette at the bottom of the page depicts the Biblical story of the Good Samaritan, and at right is the Nehushtan, the serpent wound around a staff that appeared to Moses—obviously, a Scriptural counterpart to Mercury's staff or caduceus.

    14 The immediate source of light in Joseph Wright of Derby's remarkable painting, “The Alchymist,” may be the glowing retort containing phosphorus that radiates at the centre of the alchemist's laboratory, but the vessel merely reflects the divine light dimly viewed through the window at the top of the scene. The picture is heavily laden with references to Freemasonry that would have been obvious to any initiate.

    15 Ebenezer Sibly's famous astrological chart of the birth of the United States on July 4, 1776, is carried aloft by a winged figure of Victory. Below, George Washington gestures towards Justice and a young Federal Union, while a rather ludicrous looking Indian, derived from tobacco advertisements, toasts him and points to symbols of trade. A military camp and a prosperous port town are seen in the background. This is a rare example of a strongly pro-American print, engraved in England only 12 years after American Independence.

    16 The most imaginative and detailed of Peter Lambert de Lintot's Masonic engravings, dating from 1789, displays the symbols of the different degrees granted by the breakaway Grand Lodge of England. The use of alchemical imagery and language (“Chaos,” “Hermes,” etc.) is striking, as are the multiple representations of Solomon's Temple. The arrangement of the seven degrees might be compared to Newton's plan of the Temple. The inscriptions around the edges are written in English, French and an indecipherable quasi-Hebraic script (perhaps the language of Adam) for the benefit of the multi-cultural members of the Grand Lodge.

    17 The famous depiction of animal magnetism from Ebenezer Sibly's Key to Physic, and the Occult Sciences (1795) shows a male magnetizer operating on a female patient. He stands at a