The Ripley Scroll
The Ripley Scroll (detail), ca. 1700 The Ripley Scroll, ca. 1700 The Ripley Scroll (detail), ca. 1700 The Ripley Scroll (detail)
England, ca. 1700
Watercolor
950053.6

One of 21 surviving copies, the Ripley Scroll uses cryptic imagery to "explain" scientific processes. Why such a scroll was made during the era of printing remains a mystery. Perhaps it recalled medieval genealogical scrolls or gave the viewer the illusion of being immersed in an alchemical experiment.

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The Art of Alchemy