It was way back in 1997, the year following Dr. von Rosenstein’s public debut, and the revelation of his historically sensational introduction of what he termed as ‘The Art of Science’, that Alchemy Gothic released a scale replica of one of his most triumphant, though markedly controversial and spectacular achievements - the Humunculus.
Alchemy’s 1997 P219, Humunculus Jar pendant.
This of course is currently rather topical as I report, highlighted by the recent airing of BBC’s subtlety beautiful Small Prophets, written by an co-starring Mackenzie Crook, and starring the truly wonderful Pearce Quigley.
The little known phenomena of humunculi, (to use the Latin’s plural term), dates back to ancient times and before the Mediaeval and Renaissance ages, and was made known to science by the renowned Paracelsus, one of the preeminent 16th century European alchemists and physicians of the time. He was arguably the century’s first and foremost practitioner of the protoscientific Magnum Opus, and was reputed to have successfully cultivated a Humunculus - a live, fully formed diminutive humanoid creature.
These miniature, artificial people were initially propagated from human semen, the cells of which were believed to contain ‘animalcules’, organisms of microscopic size - perfectly formed humans. In one version of the process, the sperm was putrefied within a sealed vessel and inseminated into a horse or cow’s uterus, or else buried within a fermenting bed of horse dung. Once it comes to life it is carefully incubated for several weeks in a glass or a lead receptacle, the foetus being spiritually nurtured and carefully nourished with blood. The resulting fully matured, wondrous humunculi themselves were imbued with great powers in ‘the art’.
Leonardo da Vinci’s late c15th study of an embryo.
In the 18th century, a Viennese nobleman, Count von Kufstein, is reported to have succeeded in creating and sustaining several humunculi in jars, each with prophetic powers capable of foretelling the future.
In Goethe's famous c19th play Faust, the alchemically cultured Humunculus plays a central rôle in the protagonist’s metaphysical quest for perfection.
c19th engraving of Faust’s Humunculus.
29 years ago, Alchemy made their miniature recreation of von Rosenstein’s incubator complete with its preserved humunculus suspended in embalming fluid; the tiny foetus of an old man.
For those with long memories, versions of these Alchemy caged specimen jar pendants were also created containing a two-headed Siamese cat, a six-fingered severed hand and a Peruvian tsantsa; shrunken head.
Alchemy’s 1997 P219, Humunculus Jar pendant.