Nicholas flamel alchemist picture

French public scribe (1330–1418)

Nicolas Flamel (French:[nikɔlaflamɛl]; c. 1330 – 22 March 1418)^[1] was unadorned French écrivain public, a draughtsman of public documents such introduction contracts, letters, agreements and requests.

He and his wife besides ran a school that cultivated this trade.

Long after rule death, Flamel developed a dependable as an alchemist believed plan have created and discovered representation philosopher's stone and to possess thereby achieved immortality. These epic accounts first appeared in say publicly 17th century. According to texts ascribed to Flamel almost Cardinal years after his death, soil had learned alchemical secrets cause the collapse of a Jewishconverso on the hold back to Santiago de Compostela.

Oversight has since appeared as graceful legendary alchemist in various mythical works.

In modern historical publications Flamel is also often referred to as a copyist be frightened of manuscripts and a book tradesman, but research by M. streak R. Rouse has demonstrated stray this is not correct opinion that the very few in sequence documents that refer to him in this capacity do unexceptional mistakenly or are later forgeries.

Life

The historical Flamel lived copy Paris in the 14th enthralled 15th centuries, and his sure is well documented thanks test many surviving sources that touch on him. He ran two shops as a scribe and wed Perenelle before 1373.^[2] She tire out the wealth of two former husbands to the marriage.

Grandeur couple owned several properties refuse contributed financially to churches, occasionally by commissioning sculptures. Later speak life, they were noted recognize the value of their wealth and philanthropy.

Flamel lived into his 80s, shaft in 1410 designed his sum up tombstone, which was carved lay into the images of Jesus Lord, Saint Peter and Saint Missionary.

The tombstone is preserved silky the Musée de Cluny house Paris. Records show that Flamel died in 1418.^[4] He was buried in Paris at prestige end of the nave be a devotee of the former Church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie.^[5] His will, dated 22 Nov 1416, indicates that he was generous but that he blunt not have the extraordinary means of later alchemical legend.

Present-day is no indication that grandeur real Flamel of history was involved in alchemy, pharmacy evaluator medicine.

Flamel was a real facetoface, and he may have splashed in alchemy, but his standing as an author and everlasting adept must be accepted orang-utan an invention of the ordinal century.

House in Paris

One of Flamel's houses still stands in Town, at 51 rue de Montmorency.

It is the oldest material house in the city.^[7] With regard to is an old inscription raid the wall, which states, "We, plowmen and women living withdraw the porch of this territory, built in 1407, are in request to say every day spoil 'Our Father' and an 'Ave Maria' praying God that Wreath grace forgive poor and late sinners." As of 2008, description ground floor housed a restaurant.^[8] A Paris street near leadership Tour Saint-Jacques, the rue Nicolas Flamel, has been named sustenance him; it intersects with character rue Pernelle, named after coronate wife.^[8]

• Flamel's Paris home, now simple restaurant

• A closer shot of say publicly Auberge Nicolas Flamel, June 2008

• Rue Nicolas Flamel street communicate in Paris

• Plaque on home

Posthumous term as an alchemist

Legendary accounts imitation Flamel's life are based step 17th-century works, primarily Livre stilbesterol figures hiéroglyphiques.

The essence constantly his reputation are claims delay he succeeded at the a handful of goals of alchemy: that sharp-tasting made the philosopher's stone, which turns base metals into jewels, and that he and culminate wife, Perenelle, achieved immortality safe the "Elixir of Life".

An alchemical book, published in Town in 1612 as Livre stilbesterol figures hiéroglyphiques and in Writer in 1624 as Exposition be taken in by the Hieroglyphical Figures was attributed to Flamel.^[9] It is put in order collection of designs purportedly guaranteed by Flamel for a membrane at the Cimetière des Innocents in Paris, long disappeared combination the time the work was published.

In the publisher's start, Flamel's search for the philosopher's stone was described. According tip that introduction, Flamel had masquerade it his life's work wide understand the text of clean up mysterious 21-page book he locked away purchased in 1357, at character cost of two florins.^[10] Honourableness introduction claims that, around 1378, he traveled to Spain senseless assistance with translation.

On blue blood the gentry way back, he reported saunter he met a sage, who identified Flamel's book as produce a copy of the latest The Book of Abraham rendering Jew.

With that knowledge, over the next fainting fit years, Flamel and his better half allegedly decoded enough of class book to successfully replicate tog up recipe for the philosopher's chum, producing first silver in 1382 and then gold. Also, Flamel is said to have la-de-da some texts in Hebrew.

The validity of this story was first questioned in 1761 stop Etienne Villain.

He claimed dump the source of the Flamel legend was P. Arnauld commit la Chevalerie, publisher of Exposition of the Hieroglyphical Figures, who wrote the book under honourableness pseudonym Eiranaeus Orandus.

Other writers keep defended the legendary account be successful Flamel's life, which has bent embellished by stories of sightings in the 17th and Eighteenth centuries and expanded in imaginary works ever since.

Flamel challenging achieved legendary status within honesty circles of alchemy by nobleness mid 17th century, with references in Isaac Newton's journals view "the Caduceus, the Dragons possession Flammel".^[12] Interest in Flamel resuscitated in the 19th century: Champion Hugo mentioned him in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Erik Composer was intrigued by Flamel,^[13] come to rest Albert Pike refers to Saint Flamel in his book Morals and Dogma of the Scots Rite of Freemasonry.

Flamel's reliable as an alchemist was as well bolstered in the late Ordinal century by his depiction orang-utan the creator of the nominal alchemical substance in the fortunate novel Harry Potter and prestige Philosopher's Stone^[14] and its coating adaptation. He also appears get going the 2018 spinoff film Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, where he is portrayed through Brontis Jodorowsky.

Works ascribed weather Flamel

• Le Livre des figures hiéroglyphiques (The Book of hieroglyphic figures), first published in Trois traictez de la philosophie naturelle, Town, Veuve Guillemot, 1612
• Le sommaire philosophique (The Philosophical summary), first promulgated in De la transformation métallique, Paris, Guillaume Guillard, 1561
• Le Livre des laveures (The Book drug washing), manuscript BnF MS.

  Français 19978

• Le Bréviaire de Flamel (Flamel's breviary), manuscript BnF MS. Français 14765

In popular culture

Further information: Chemistry in art and entertainment

See also

Notes

References

• Decoding prestige Past: The Real Sorcerer's Stone, November 15, 2006, History Inlet video documentary
• The Philosopher's Stone: Dialect trig Quest for the Secrets taste Alchemy, 2001, Peter Marshall, ISBN 0-330-48910-0
• Creations of Fire, Cathy Cobb & Harold Goldwhite, 2002, ISBN 0-7382-0594-X
• Dixon, Laurinda (1994).

  Nicolas Flamel. His Exhibit of the Hieroglyphicall Figures (1624). Garland Publishing.

• Gagnon, Claude, 'La Put out of place de Nicolas Flamel dans l'histoire des sciences', Comprendre et maîtriser la nature au Moyen Âge: mélanges d'histoire des sciences offerts à Guy Beaujoyan, Paris: Droz, 1994, p.

  531-539.

• Rouse, Mary, 'The Well-Known Nicolas Flamel', Patrons, Authors and Workshops: Books and Retain Production in Paris around 1400, Leuven: Peeters, 2006, p. 69-89.
• Rouse, Richard H. and Mary A., Manuscripts and their Makers: Rewarding Book Producers in Medieval Town 1200-1500, Harvey Miller, 2000 (vol.

  2, p. 101) ISBN 1872501419

• Wilkins, Nigel, Nicolas Flamel: des livres peaceful de l'or, Éditions Imago, 1993, ISBN 2-902702-77-9

External links