Germany, 1582 copy (text tradition c. 1532–1535)
The Knight Upon Two Fountains
An armored knight stands astride two fountains, his shield inscribed with the instruction to make one water out of two.
- Work
- Splendor Solis (Splendour of the Sun)
- Artist / creator
- Unknown illuminator (text attributed to Salomon Trismosin)
- Origin & date
- German, 1582 copy (text tradition attributed to Salomon Trismosin, c. 1532–1535)
- Held by
- British Library (Harley MS 3469, f.7)
Format
The full-resolution color-managed file — yours to print, study, and keep.
Size
Available as a digital download only — this scan’s resolution doesn’t hold up cleanly as a physical print at any size.
$24.00
The story
An armored knight stands with sword drawn atop two fountains, crowned by a gold star and a silver one. The shield he bears carries an inscription: make one water out of two, give it to drink, then remake it from that water again "and you will have multiplied the Stone." The image belongs to the manuscript’s Second Treatise, the theoretical groundwork laid before the parables begin, and reads as an instruction in miniature: the "two waters" were understood as the separated principles of the work, commonly likened to sun and moon, sulfur and mercury, that had to be rejoined into a single substance before anything else could proceed. The gold and silver stars crowning the knight repeat that same pairing above his head. It is one of the plainer plates, but it states the manuscript’s central operation before the imagery turns strange.
About this reproduction
- Faithful reproduction of a public-domain work, sourced from British Library (Harley MS 3469, f.7)’s open-access release.
- Printed to order on archival cotton-rag stock, pigment inks rated 100+ years.
- Color-managed to the source scan.
- Available as a Gold-Foil Premium Edition — a metallic accent print evoking the illuminator’s gold, for a piece from one of the tradition’s luminous, gilded manuscripts.
- Ships in 5–8 business days; satisfaction guaranteed.
