manuel cohen

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  • Street sign of the Rue de l'Alchimie, Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. Bourges has a long tradition with alchemy and many of its buildings, such as the Palais Jacques Coeur, the Cathedral and the Hotel Lallemant display symbols and sculptures which are thought to relate to alchemical processes. Many scholars of alchemy, such as Fulcanelli, Mathe, Chenu, Van Lennep and Bulteau have studied the Bourges buildings. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0697.jpg
  • Winged cherub with a coquille St-Jacques shell resting on fire, symbol of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, of secrets, of the feminine principle of mercury and of the crucible, so this relief represents the joining of mercury and fire in the processes of alchemy, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0682.jpg
  • Madman with a necklace of bells, sticking out his tongue and wearing the winged helmet of Mercury (mercury is one of the base metals used in alchemy), holding a broken sceptre and a dog. Below the fool is a smaller figure holding a vial, sculptural detail on a corbel below the corner turret in the Upper courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0635.jpg
  • Second tapestry of children gardening, wool, Flemish or French, late 17th - early 18th century, copied from an original series made at the Manufacture des Gobelins in 1664, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The subject of children gardening came from Charles le Brun's decoration of the Pavillon de l'Aurore at the Chateau de Sceaux. Taken by the Nazis during WWII, these tapestries were in the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum in Krefeld 1940-48, were returned to France after Liberation and given to the Bourges museum in 1960. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0694.jpg
  • Winged cherub with prayer beads ending in a dove, signifying that prayer should not be forgotten, and that something greater can come out of smaller elements, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0677.jpg
  • Winged beast with a scroll, one of many fantastic creatures decorating the building, sculptural detail flanking a window in the Upper Courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0658.jpg
  • Terracotta shell with a mythological figure, sculptural detail in the Upper courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. These classical mythological references are typical of the Renaissance period (others include a faun and a Medusa). The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0655.jpg
  • Man bearing his thigh, an alchemical symbol, sculptural detail in the vaulted passageway of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0646.jpg
  • Hooded man holding a scroll, sculptural detail in the vaulted passageway of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0645.jpg
  • St Christopher with his pilgrim's staff, and wearing a padded belt possibly associated with alchemy, late 16th century, polychrome relief in the Loggia of the Lower Courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0639.jpg
  • Wool tapestry representing Spring, from the series Les Saisons de Lucas, after the artist who is thought to have drawn the original cartoons, Lucas van Leyden, Flemish, 17th century, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The tapestry shows the agricultural pursuits of the peasants such as gardening and fishing with nets and the leisure pursuits of the nobility in Flanders in the 1530s. After being damaged in WWII, the tapestry was owned by the Nazi Hermann Goering, and was returned to France in 1947 on Liberation, and given to the Bourges museum in 1967. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0689.jpg
  • Winged cherub with a pilgrim's staff, representing the difficult path of alchemy - the staff is a symbol of masculinity and overcoming dangers, protecting the bearer, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The staff can also represent the alembic or alchemical still. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0667.jpg
  • Winged cherub with a hobby horse, hitting it with a whip, representing childhood games and the fact that everything is not what it at first seems - we must look beyond the virtual to reality, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0662.jpg
  • Ball of fire, possibly a burning stone, in a carved cup, with 3R representing the extraction of igneous sulphur by a triple reiteration and possibly a pomegranate representing fertility (a symbol also found elsewhere in the building), from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0661.JPG
  • Man with a bag over his shoulder, thought to possibly represent Jean Lallemant, sculptural detail from the facade of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0656.jpg
  • Upper courtyard with main entrance and corner turret of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0652.jpg
  • St Christopher with his pilgrim's staff, and wearing a padded belt possibly associated with alchemy, late 16th century, polychrome relief in the Loggia of the Lower Courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0638.jpg
  • Porcupine with a crown, representing King Louis XII, and candelabra, relief on a fireplace in the Lower Room of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The fireplace is carved with coats of arms and also royal emblems representing Louis XII and Anne of Brittany (the ermine), who both visited Bourges in 1506. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0695.jpg
  • The broken pot, with a cup covered in parchment and attached to a ring by a rope, with a hole in its side releasing 3-pointed volatile crystals, possibly cerusite (a mineral composed of natural carbonate of lead), meant as a warning of the dangers of experimentation, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0676.jpg
  • Winged cherub urinating into a clog, representing the process in alchemy of washing the mercury with urine, one of the first phases of creation of the philosopher's stone, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0675.JPG
  • Shell and scorpion, with the scorpion representing darkness and disgust, eating a scroll which is crossed over, with letter E all around, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. This section is thought to represent mercury (the shell) needing the addition of sulphur or gold, with the wrapped scroll representing the crucible, although the meaning of the letter E is disputed. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0666.jpg
  • Hunting scene, detail from landscape frescoes which line the walls of the Loggia, in the Lower Courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0642.jpg
  • Black marble plaque in the embrasure of an arcade in the Loggia of the Lower Courtyard, with an inscription explaining the dispute between 3 local parishes, each claiming the royalties associated with the Hotel Lallemant because the land on which it was built straddled all 3 parish boundaries, Hotel Lallemant, mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0637.jpg
  • Ball of fire on the credence carved with many symbols related to alchemy, such as balls of fire, dolphins, a shell representing mercury, rose and cornucopia and the mysterious letters RERE (possibly related to genealogy and found repeatedly on Lallemant family prayer books and objects), detail in the Lallemant family chapel in the Oratory of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. Fulcanelli wrote extensively on the significance of the letters R and E in terms of alchemy, with RE being dry and wet matters and RERE double matters. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0688.jpg
  • Winged cherub praying with his prayer beads, representing pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the link between the Church and esotericism, or between the holy trinity and metals (gold is God, money is the Virgin and mercury is Jesus), from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0669.jpg
  • Wealthy couple, detail from the wool tapestry representing Spring, from the series Les Saisons de Lucas, after the artist who is thought to have drawn the original cartoons, Lucas van Leyden, Flemish, 17th century, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The tapestry shows the agricultural pursuits of the peasants such as gardening and fishing with nets and the leisure pursuits of the nobility in Flanders in the 1530s. After being damaged in WWII, the tapestry was owned by the Nazi Hermann Goering, and was returned to France in 1947 on Liberation, and given to the Bourges museum in 1967. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0691.jpg
  • Lion's head with a vase, tipping due to the tearing of a string held in the lion's mouth, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. This section represents the successful fixing of sulphur and the warning of not pushing the multiplication of elements too far (the lion still holds the string). The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0668.jpg
  • The pilgrim praying, a crowned cherub with no wings reads from a book searching for enlightenment, while a snake eats his own tail, killing himself with his own venom, while making the sign of infinity with his curled tail, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0671.jpg
  • Terracotta shell with a classical figure, sculptural detail in the Upper courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. These classical and mythological references are typical of the Renaissance period (others include a faun and a Medusa). The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0657.jpg
  • Winged beast with a scroll, one of many fantastic creatures decorating the building, sculptural detail flanking a window in the Upper Courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0654.jpg
  • Corbel with a figure holding a vial, situated below a sculpture of a madman with a necklace of bells, sticking out his tongue and wearing the winged helmet of Mercury, holding a broken sceptre and a dog. Sculptural detail below the corner turret in the Upper courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0633.jpg
  • Man holding a matras, a long necked jar used by alchemists, sculptural detail in the vaulted passageway of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0647.jpg
  • Credence carved with many symbols related to alchemy, such as balls of fire, dolphins, a shell representing mercury, rose and cornucopia and the mysterious letters RERE (possibly related to genealogy and found repeatedly on Lallemant family prayer books and objects), in the Lallemant family chapel in the Oratory of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. Fulcanelli wrote extensively on the significance of the letters R and E in terms of alchemy, with RE being dry and wet matters and RERE double matters. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0685.jpg
  • A flaming arm reaching out to collect chestnuts in their spiky cases, with a blank scroll above, representing the separation and multiplication of materials in the creation of the philosopher's stone, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0670.jpg
  • Letter E burning in a fire, with the 3 branches of the letter representing sulphur, mercury and salt, and a scroll above, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0664.jpg
  • Man holding a matras, a long necked jar used by alchemists, sculptural detail in the vaulted passageway of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0660.jpg
  • Hunting scene, detail from landscape frescoes which line the walls of the Loggia, in the Lower Courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0640.jpg
  • Madman with a necklace of bells, sticking out his tongue and wearing the winged helmet of Mercury (mercury is one of the base metals used in alchemy), holding a broken sceptre and a dog. Below the fool is a smaller figure holding a vial, sculptural detail on a corbel below the corner turret in the Upper courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0636.jpg
  • Winged stag with a crown, thought to be a homage to King Charles VIII, showing the Lallemant brothers' closeness to the King, one of many fantastic creatures decorating the building, flanking a window in the Upper Courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. Similarly, Jacques Coeur also paid homage to Charles VII on the tympanum to the Salle des Festins in his Palais Jacques Coeur. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0634.jpg
  • Dolphin and ball of fire on the credence carved with many symbols related to alchemy, such as balls of fire, dolphins, a shell representing mercury, rose and cornucopia and the mysterious letters RERE (possibly related to genealogy and found repeatedly on Lallemant family prayer books and objects), detail in the Lallemant family chapel in the Oratory of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. Fulcanelli wrote extensively on the significance of the letters R and E in terms of alchemy, with RE being dry and wet matters and RERE double matters. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0687.jpg
  • Phoenix pecking at the fruits in a horn of plenty,  with the bird representing fire and the philosopher's stone, also rebirth and returning to oneself, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0674.jpg
  • Winged cherub blowing fire from a horn, representing the role of breath or the wind in the alchemy, in contrast to the section depicting fire contained in a cup, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0680.jpg
  • Winged cherub carrying a cup of fire, with one knee on the ground, representing a controlled and contained fire which feeds the mind, and the calcination of the inner fire with the outer fire, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0678.jpg
  • Winged cherub hunting nature, with a garland of plants around his neck and holding a bell associated with a madman, symbolising the alchemist's power over nature, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0673.jpg
  • Winged cherub sitting on a giant shell and sowing 7 shells from a basket (7 is a symbolic number in alchemy), with the basket and the shell representing the philosophical mercury and the appearance of sulphur, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0665.jpg
  • Coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0651.jpg
  • Detail of the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0650.jpg
  • Tapestry of children gardening, wool, Flemish or French, late 17th - early 18th century, copied from an original series made at the Manufacture des Gobelins in 1664, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The subject of children gardening came from Charles le Brun's decoration of the Pavillon de l'Aurore at the Chateau de Sceaux. Taken by the Nazis during WWII, these tapestries were in the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum in Krefeld 1940-48, were returned to France after Liberation and given to the Bourges museum in 1960. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0693.jpg
  • Niche of the credence carved with many symbols related to alchemy, such as balls of fire, dolphins, a shell representing mercury, rose and cornucopia and the mysterious letters RERE (possibly related to genealogy and found repeatedly on Lallemant family prayer books and objects), detail in the Lallemant family chapel in the Oratory of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. Fulcanelli wrote extensively on the significance of the letters R and E in terms of alchemy, with RE being dry and wet matters and RERE double matters. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0686.jpg
  • Tapestry of children gardening, wool, Flemish or French, late 17th - early 18th century, copied from an original series made at the Manufacture des Gobelins in 1664, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The subject of children gardening came from Charles le Brun's decoration of the Pavillon de l'Aurore at the Chateau de Sceaux. Taken by the Nazis during WWII, these tapestries were in the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum in Krefeld 1940-48, were returned to France after Liberation and given to the Bourges museum in 1960. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0692.jpg
  • Dove in flames, representing the philosophical soul, and the descent of the terrestrial fire in Christian tradition, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0683.jpg
  • Armillary sphere in flames with a blank scroll, representing the raw material antimony and its extraction by the skill of the alchemist, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0679.JPG
  • Man, possibly a monk, holding a scroll, sculptural detail on the entrance to the Oratory, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0649.jpg
  • Man holding a matras, a long necked jar used by alchemists, sculptural detail in the vaulted passageway of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0644.jpg
  • Hunting scene, detail from landscape frescoes which line the walls of the Loggia, in the Lower Courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0641.jpg
  • Men fishing with nets in a castle moat, detail from the wool tapestry representing Spring, from the series Les Saisons de Lucas, after the artist who is thought to have drawn the original cartoons, Lucas van Leyden, Flemish, 17th century, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The tapestry shows the agricultural pursuits of the peasants such as gardening and fishing with nets and the leisure pursuits of the nobility in Flanders in the 1530s. After being damaged in WWII, the tapestry was owned by the Nazi Hermann Goering, and was returned to France in 1947 on Liberation, and given to the Bourges museum in 1967. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0690.jpg
  • Celestial dew, with a watering can attached to a ring by a rope, releasing drops onto a fire, representing the sacred relationship between water and fire, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. Also there is an allusion to the heavenly cosmic fluid, and the ring symbolises faithfulness, with the droplets signifying the unity of material. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0681.JPG
  • Jason and the Argonauts in the Garden of Hesperides on the way to Colchis, part of the Quest for the Golden Fleece, polychrome relief in the Oratory at the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. Fulcanelli studied this work and interpreted it in relation to alchemy, and the quest for the philosopher's stone. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0684.jpg
  • A hand surrounded by flames emerging from a rock wall, holding a branch from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, or possibly feathers representing dry work, and with a scroll wrapped around, thought to represent the culmination of an alchemist's work, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0672.jpg
  • Winged cherub unwinding a thread on a reel topped with a Greek cross, representing the work of spinners which signifies coagulation, from the coffered ceiling of the Oratory, carved in stone with 30 sections, each relating to a process in alchemy, in the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0663.jpg
  • Two winged creatures with human heads drinking from a vase, sculptural detail from the facade on the Rue Bourbonnoux, above the doorway to the vaulted passageway, at the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0659.jpg
  • Hooded man holding a scroll, sculptural detail in the vaulted passageway of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0648.jpg
  • Ermine with a crown, representing Anne of Brittany, and candelabra, relief on a fireplace in the Lower Room of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. The fireplace is carved with coats of arms and also royal emblems representing Louis XII (porcupine) and Anne of Brittany, who both visited Bourges in 1506. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0696.jpg
  • Medallion relief of Paris, son of Priam in profile, wearing a helmet of a ram's head and horns, triangular pediment above a door in the Upper Courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. At the top of this triangle is depicted a ball of fire, either a reference to the fire of 1487, or perhaps a symbol of alchemy. The sculptural decoration on the building, made by both French and Italian sculptors, has been interpreted by Fulcanelli and others as having an alchemical symbolism. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0653.jpg
  • Landscape with hunting scene, landscape fresco on the walls of the Loggia, in the Lower Courtyard of the Hotel Lallemant, a mansion built 1495-1518 in French Renaissance style by the Lallemant merchant family, in Bourges, Centre Val de Loire, France. Since 1951 the building has housed the Musee des Arts Decoratifs and it was listed as a historic monument in 1840. Picture by Manuel Cohen
    LC17_FRANCE_MC_0643.jpg
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