Philosophia Hermetica
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Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks No. 48 Philosophica Hermetica by Federico Gualdi
Federico Gualdi, though of German origin, spent much of his formative years in Venice. Uncovering factual information about Gualdi's life is challenging, as he presented himself as an adept, shrouded in mystery. Over time, a mass of legend has surrounded him, making it nearly impossible to distinguish fact from supposition. In a sense, he achieved, some decades earlier, the same notoriety as the Comte de Saint-Germain (c.1712-1784).
In the closing decades of the seventeenth century, several writers presented fantastic accounts of Gualdi. He was said to possess the Universal Medicine, making him over 400 years old, and carried with him a portrait made by Titian, who had died 130 years earlier. In 1682, Gualdi left Venice, apparently due to his growing reputation as an adept, which led to him being inundated with letters and visits from alchemists eager to question him. He appeared to be in the prime of life but claimed to be ninety, leading to the belief that he possessed a panacea that rejuvenated him.
Gualdi likely returned to Germany and corresponded on alchemical matters with several people during the first two decades of the 18th century. Thirteen of these letters were later published in Leipzig in 1788. Several works are attributed to him, including *De lapide philosophorum*, a text in fifty-five chapters in German and Latin, and the *Letters*. Perhaps the most engaging is the *Philosophia Hermetica* poem, with its series of thirteen emblematic figures.
Date Published: 2014
Page Number: 50
Illustrated: 14 coloured illustrations
Cover Type: Handbound leather hardback A5
Edition: Limited
Signed by: Adam McLean
