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Lucrezia Borgia: Exploring the Enigma
Lucrezia Borgia is an enigmatic figure of the Italian Renaissance (c. 1350 - 1550 AD). This period sees revival of art, culture and...
Sylvia Rose
Sep 4, 20245 min read
19 views


Titans of the Renaissance: Powerful Italian Families
Powerful Medici, Borgia, Sforza, Gonzaga and Este families rise to prominence in the Renaissance. Behind the vast artistic innovations...
Sylvia Rose
Sep 3, 20244 min read
18 views


Cosimo Ruggeri: Prophecies from the Dark
Cosimo Ruggeri is an Italian astrologer , alchemist, haruspex , favorite and advisor to the queen regent of France, Catherine de Medici....
Sylvia Rose
Sep 3, 20244 min read
15 views


Equipment Alchemists Need: Essential Tools of the Trade
Alchemy begins with several elements coming together at a crucial time in Alexandria, Egypt. As an international glass center, the city...
Sylvia Rose
Sep 1, 20245 min read
17 views


Renaissance Wars: Venice vs. Ottoman
The Ottoman-Venetian Wars are seven major conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice from the late 14th to the 18th...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 27, 20247 min read
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Venice Italy: Jewel of the Renaissance
Venice during the Renaissance emerges as a vibrant center of art, culture and commerce, influencing the broader European scope. The...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 27, 20244 min read
17 views


Alchemy & Renaissance Glass: Antonio Neri
Antonio Neri is a Renaissance Florentine priest, well known for contributions to alchemy and glassmaking. As a youth Neri is drawn to the...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 27, 20243 min read
16 views


Religious Wars Catholics & Protestants France
The 16th and 17th centuries mark a tumultuous period in European history, defined by a series of religious wars with cataclysmic effects...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 23, 20244 min read
24 views


Elixir Vitae: Giambattista della Porta
In the European alchemical tradition, the elixir vitae or elixir of life is associated with the philosopher's stone. Legend has it...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 19, 20246 min read
33 views


Guelphs & Ghibellines: Blood of the Renaissance
The Guelphs and Ghibellines are feuding factions during the Italian Renaissance. Warfare and bloodshed between the two throw regions of...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 19, 20245 min read
11 views


Guido Bonatti: Medieval Astrology Star
Guido Bonatti  (d. 1296 - 1300) is a renowned Italian mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer. Highly respected for his astrological...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 18, 20244 min read
18 views


Renaissance Astrology: Power of Stars & Planets
Astrology prospers in the East after the 476 AD fall of the Roman Empire. Indian, Persian, and Islamic writers prolifically translate...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 18, 20246 min read
12 views


Malaria: Roman Fever & Renaissance Plague
The malaria parasite P. falciparum has existed for up to100,000 years. Its numbers rise c. 8000 BCE with the Neolithic Revolution....
Sylvia Rose
Aug 17, 20245 min read
41 views


Lapis Lazuli: Creating Ultramarine
Lapis lazuli or "blue stone" is prized for its depth and brilliance in paint as the color ultramarine. Before the 1800s, ultramarine...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 16, 20245 min read
21 views


Cosimo de' Medici & the Italian Renaissance
Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici, also known as Cosimo the Elder, is a leading figure in the rise of Florence as the Italian Renaissance...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 16, 20244 min read
17 views


Poison Pigments of Painters: Renaissance
During the Western Renaissance, new exciting artists' pigments appear in brilliant colors, vibrant scarlet red, deep rich blue,...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 15, 20247 min read
45 views


Vitriol in Alchemy: Caustic Compounds
Vitriols are among the most important alchemical ingredients. Green vitriol is the archaic term for all vitriols and now means ferrous...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 12, 20245 min read
26 views


Glass & Arts of Ancient Glass Making
Glass production is known before the Bronze Age. Early glassmakers in Egypt and the ancient Near East produce colored beads and later...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 3, 20247 min read
45 views


Famous Women of Renaissance Alchemy
Women often find inspiration in alchemy. In the light of the Renaissance several female alchemists emerge. Women alchemists of the...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 2, 20245 min read
64 views


Renaissance Apocalypse: End is Nigh
Plague, war, famine and pervading doom lurk beneath the genius and enlightenment of the western Renaissance. The Rosicrucian movement...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 1, 202410 min read
45 views
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