Handmade reproduction on canvas featuring a 16th-century woodcut from the Rosarium Philosophorum (The Rosary of the Philosophers), a foundational text in European alchemy first published in 1550. Both a spiritual manual & a practical guide, the Rosarium served as a touchstone for seekers of the Philosopher's Stone, symbolizing the purification & perfection of matter & soul. The central image, commonly known as The Green Lion Devouring the Sun, is a vivid emblem of transformation. The Green Lion or Emerald Lion represents vitriol (sulfuric acid), an agent so potent that it was said to dissolve gold. Here, the lion consumes the human-faced sun, a symbol of gold & spiritual light, capturing a moment of radical dissolution: the breakdown of base substances in pursuit of essence & transcendence. This moment marks the Nigredo or blackening phase of the Magnum Opus. It precedes the emergence of clarity & purification. in alchemical philosophy, this encounter was not only chemical but spiritual, dissolving the ego to reveal deeper truth. The accompanying alchemical text describes Mercury as the Green Lion, an omnipresent & potent force: I am the true green & Golden Lion without cares. in me all the secrets of the Philosophers are hidden... I am the whole secret & in me the Science is hidden, because I convert all bodies into Sol & Luna... Isaac Newton, an avid alchemist, was captivated by such symbols, as seen in his extensive notes on the Emerald Tablet, where he sought to decode the secrets of transmutation, merging science with occultism. This piece captures that historical blend of chemistry & mysticism. - 5 x 7 standing / hanging frame Lion Devouring The Sun - Rosarium Philosophorum, 1550 Handmade Reproduction On Canvas 5x7