There exists a famous engraving made by Albrecht Dürer in 1514 that singularly associates the classical themes of depicting Melancholy with distinctly alchemical symbols. This should come as no surprise: with its thousand-year-old tradition and its rich symbolism, Alchemy offers precious insights into the dynamic processes that occur in Nature and, by analogy, in man. The artist, who has a clear grasp of the medieval conception of Melancholy as subject to the influence of the planet Saturn, places the word melancholy in the phylactery held by a bat.

What is most interesting to note is the presence of two figures: in the foreground, a large, winged figure with feminine features, embodying man in his true essence — the one towards which his soul strives. The face is dark, frowning; perhaps she is pondering a problem she cannot solve, perhaps a problem of proportions, given that she holds a compass in her hand — the proportions needed to find a way out of a certain situation. The second figure is small, also winged, seated on a millstone. It is active, writing, and has not stopped. The millstone on which it sits suggests that perhaps something has been ground down, broken, no longer present in its coarse form.

Perhaps the problem to be solved could be connected to the so-called Jupiter square, whose figures, when added horizontally, vertically and diagonally, always give 34 (the artist also managed to place the numbers 15 and 14 side by side, thereby indicating the year in which the print was made). The failure to resolve this problem might indicate the difficulty of making the definitive transition from the Saturnine state of melancholy to the state of mind under the influence of Jupiter (becoming "jovial"), symbolised by the dawn arriving with its luminosity.

This plate also contains symbols that can be read in an alchemical way: the crucible over a very lively fire — the only instrument in operation — indicating a process still under way, while the other instruments have been abandoned and lie scattered on the ground in disorder; the polyhedron, a stone, but not yet perfect; the curled-up dog, recalling the ouroboros, the serpent biting its own tail, symbol of eternal return and of nature renewing itself incessantly; the sphere, indicating the perfection of the cosmos; the seven-rung ladder, a classical symbol of ascent; the scales with which the right proportions are sought and studied; the hourglass, symbol of time, an important unit in the realm of Saturn.

Is there still anyone who believes that the West lacks sufficient stimuli for a profound meditation on man and his essence?

Elio Occhipinti

Image: Melancholy, Albrecht Dürer