Calendarium Naturale Magicum Perpetuum

Calendarium naturale magicum perpetuum profundissimam rerum secretissimarum contemplationem totiusque Philosophiæ cognitionem complectens.
 
Matthäus Merian the Elder for Johann Baptist Großschedel von Aicha, Calendarium naturale magicum perpetuum, Oppenheim: Johann Theodor de Bry, signed bottom left Auth: Johan Babtista Großschedel ab Aicha; bottom right Io: Theodore de Bry, excud.; Thico Brahae inuentor 1582.
 
The Calendarium naturale magicum perpetuum, encompassing the profound contemplation of the most secret things and the complete knowledge of philosophy, was created by Matthäus Merian the Elder for the alchemist, Rosicrucian, and author Johann Baptist Großschedel von Aicha (1577- after 1631). The work was transferred into the representation of the vertical-format print graphic. Merian may have been inspired by a concept or drawing from 1582 by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) – mentioned on the sheet as Thico Brahae inventor. 1582 – He created his etching on behalf of Johann Theodor de Bry, who directed the project of a mystical-alchemical calendar and published the print. An exact dating of the sheet, which is preserved in only a few copies, has not been determined, but the assumption is that a period from 1616 to 1618 is most likely. In any case, it is inevitable that the work is contextually related to the natural-magical-alchemical publications of Robert Fludd and Michael Maier at Johann Theodor de Bry.
 
The tabular schema is based on a numerical structure that divides the sheet into 12 central rows, each subdivided into individual columns. With numbers and mathematics as a central part of alchemy, Agrippa von Nettesheim had already explored this, and passages from his work are quoted and referenced in the Calendarium. The number of each row plays a crucial role in the content treated there. For example, the first row, with its number unus, represents God, the World Soul, the Philosopher's Stone, and the Unity of the World. The second row names phenomena that occur in binary, such as Adam and Eve, Sol and Luna, or Form and Matter. The accompanying inscription indicates that binary forces strive for union (conubium) and refer to the birthing matter. For Großschedel, as a Christian alchemist, it is self-evident to list the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the triad row. This systematic approach continues up to the twelfth row, which contains the 12 zodiac signs, the names of the months, and other dodecadic phenomena.
 
In addition to the schematic-textual part of the sheet, the included images, such as the representation of the seven planetary children, play a significant role. Merian's depictions illustrate individual aspects of the content and assist in navigating within the sheet. Through the visual form, the viewer can make visible content that is more complex and less immediately communicated in the form of text. The central idea is that the medium of the image serves knowledge transmission and, as an eidetic medium, enables a different form of encryption and deciphering. Merian, as a printmaker, plays a mediating role between art and science. He places particular emphasis on situating the depicted figures in a contextual setting, giving the representation a narrative potential and implying that the images have a claim to their own statement. For example, a motif in the seventh row depicts the figure of Luna, which Merian portrays riding on the back of a bull over water illuminated by moonlight, with ships and an erupting volcano in the background. This representation conveys alchemically charged symbolism and simultaneously transports a mythological reference to the story of the abduction of Europa.
 
In the same row, there is an image of a seated natural philosopher, over whose head Mercury flies, while the mercurial planetary child in the foreground seems to measure the height of a church tower using a quadrant. On the ground are numerous objects, including alchemical devices, a lute, and a painter's utensils. The image reflects the inquisitive nature magician who seeks to understand the world through science, while above his head hovers a supernatural being possessing higher knowledge. The composition vividly illustrates the connection between art and science, thereby referring again to the essence of alchemy. The Calendarium promises, with complete penetration, the acquisition of the knowledge of natural magic and the decryption of its secret for the production of the Quinta essentia.
 
Our edition is a faithfully reconstructed reprint of the Frankfurt, Grosschedel and DeBry version.