Atalanta Fugiens by Michael Maiers

Atalanta Fugiens by Michael Maiers

Michael Maier was a 17th-century alchemist and physician to the court of Emperor Rudolf I in Prague. Between 1614 and his death in 1622, Maier published a number of alchemical works, of which Atalanta Fugiens was undoubtedly the richest and most important. First published in 1617, it is one of the finest alchemical emblem books and unique in its own right.

Michael Maier's work is richly illustrated with original prints by M. Merian; each of the 50 emblems presented consists of a motto, print, epigram, and a three-part musical setting of the epigram, followed by an exposition of its meaning.

In the new publication of this important 17th-century work, Dr. H. M. E. de Jong translates the mottos and epigrams of the original 50 emblems and provides a summary of both Maier's exposition and a commentary on each emblem. She discuses the meaning and importance of the Atalanta Fugiens, the sources Maier used, and the mutual relationships between the emblems. She also includes an additional 30 alchemical engravings that explain her research, including several hard-to-find foldouts reproduced here in this volume.

Michael Maier (1568-1622) was a German physician and counsellor to Rudolf II Habsburg, a learned alchemist, epigramist and amateur composer. Maier was born in Rendsburg, Holstein, the son of a specialist in beadwork in embroidery named Peter Maier. He studied philosophy and medicine at Rostock (1587-1591), Frankfurt (Oder) (M.A. 1592), and Padua (1595-1596). Maier left Padua abruptly after getting involved in a fight, injuring the other party, and being arrested. He went on to Basel, where he attained a doctorate in medicine in October 1596. His doctoral thesis, De Epilepsia was dedicated to Matthias Carnarius. Maier then returned to Holstein to practice medicine. Around 1599, he became interested in alchemy and attempted to create an alchemical concordance, synthesizing the works of different authors. In 1608, he went to Prague, and on 19 September 1609, he formally entered the service of Rudolf II as his physician and imperial counsellor. Ten days later, Rudolf raised him to the hereditary nobility and gave him the title of Imperial Count Palatine. Around this time, Maier published an extremely limited print run of De Medicina Regia et vere Heroica, Coelidonia (1609), including in it his autobiography. The interest of the emperor in the occult was the reason of his high esteem for Maier. Nonetheless, in April 1611, Maier left Rudolf's court and went in search of a new patron. He corresponded with Moritz of Hessen-Kassel, and visited Hessen-Kassel's brother-in-law, Count Ernst III of Holstein-Schauenburg. He was also a guest of Christoph Reinhard, Doctor of Laws and town syndic of Mühlhausen, to whom he later dedicated his book Atalanta Fugiens. Between 1611 and 1616, Maier spent time in England at the court of James I. His first well-known book, Arcana Arcanissima, was published in London in 1613 or 1614, and he dedicated copies to a number of notables, including the Bishop of Ely and Sir Thomas Smith of the East India Company.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781781071854
ISBN 10	1781071853
Title	Atalanta Fugiens
Author	Michael Maiers
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Old Book Publishing Ltd.
Year published	2015-11-25
Number of pages	234
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.