The Green Lion Devouring The Sun Print, Rosarium Philosophorum, 1550, Medieval Illustration, Alchemical Poster, Witchcraft, Magick, Alchemy, Gift, Occult Symbol, Magic Picture #281

This Lion Devouring the Sun Print is a reproduction of one of the most striking alchemical illustrations of the Renaissance. Known as “Der grüne Löwe, der Sol verschlingt” (“The Green Lion Devouring the Sun”), this emblem first appeared in the Rosarium Philosophorum, published in Frankfurt am Main in 1550.

The Green Lion Devouring The Sun

It depicts a green lion biting into the radiant Sun, blood pouring from the solar face. To the alchemists of the 16th century, this image represented the mysterious and violent yet transformative power of alchemy — a symbol of purification, destruction, and renewal.

This engraving was not merely decorative, but a teaching diagram of the Magnum Opus (Great Work), illustrating how base matter is dissolved and transformed into spiritual and material gold.

Available as a fine art print on antiqued paper for a historical occult aesthetic, or on canvas for dramatic display. Delivered unframed, ready for custom framing to suit your alchemy-inspired, mystical, or academic décor.

Symbolism and Esoteric Meaning

• The Green Lion. – A symbol of vitriol (sulfuric acid), the universal solvent that dissolves matter to reveal the hidden gold of purity.

• The Sun. – Represents gold, illumination, and divine perfection, being consumed and transformed in the alchemical process.

• Blood. – The violent dissolution of matter, signifying the suffering necessary for transformation.

• The Devouring. – An allegory of purification, where corruption is destroyed to reveal the essence of truth.

• The Green Color. – Sign of life, growth, and renewal, connecting alchemy with nature and the vital force.

• The Alchemical Process. – Stages of dissolution, purification, and rebirth, essential steps in the Great Work.

Together these symbols describe the alchemist’s path: through dissolution, pain, and destruction comes purification, renewal, and the birth of gold — both material and spiritual.

Historical and Cultural Context

The Green Lion Devouring the Sun became one of the most popular symbols of alchemy. To chemists, it represented green vitriol (iron sulfate), an acid that dissolves nearly everything except gold. To natural philosophers, it echoed the power of plants absorbing the Sun’s rays — what we now call photosynthesis.

On a psychological and human level, the Green Lion symbolized violent and destructive desires overwhelming consciousness. But for the adept alchemist on a higher spiritual path, the lion’s devouring was a necessary purification, transforming the soul into something spiritually golden.

Textual Sources

‘The Green Lion Devouring The Sun' is a popular alchemical symbol. On a chemical level this is a metaphor for when a green, liquid sulfate called “vitriol” purifies matter, leaving behind the gold within the matter. Very pure vitriol is an acid that eats through practically anything, except gold.

To naturalist alchemists, the Green Lyon metaphor described the process whereby plants used the rays of the sun to facilitate their own growth — a process we call photosynthesis.

On a human level, the green lion eating the sun is a metaphor for when a person’s “consciousness [is] overwhelmed by violent, frustrated desires” (Fabricus). In other words, inside a person, when the metaphor of the green lion eating the sun takes place, the person is compelled to act out destructively.

In contrast, when the green lion eats the sun in a person on a higher spiritual path (for example, an alchemist), the person allows the green lion to eat them in order to be purified — to become spiritually golden.

“There is this one green lion, which closes and opens the seven indissoluble seals of the seven metallic spirits which torments the bodies, until it has perfected them, by means of the artist’s long and resolute patience.” — “The Cosmopolite,” (16th century)

Why Choose This Print?

• Authentic reproduction of the Green Lion Devouring the Sun from Rosarium Philosophorum (1550).

• Features powerful alchemical symbolism of purification and transformation.

• Available on antiqued paper or canvas.

• Delivered unframed – ready for custom framing.

• Perfect for alchemists, occultists, and Hermetic scholars.

• A rare artifact connecting alchemy, nature, and spiritual purification.

Perfect For

• Collectors of alchemical prints and medieval occult art.

• Practitioners of witchcraft, magick, and ritual alchemy.

• Students of esotericism, Hermetic philosophy, and psychology of symbols.

• Decorators of occult, mystical, or academic interiors.

• Unique gifts for seekers of hidden wisdom and spiritual transformation.

More Than Just An Occult Print

This Lion Devouring the Sun Print (#281) is more than an artwork – it is an alchemical mystery. With its vivid imagery of the Green Lion and the Sun, it embodies the eternal truth of destruction as purification, and suffering as the path to enlightenment. Displaying it invites reflection on the mystical process of the Great Work: to dissolve, to purify, and to be reborn in gold.

Canvas vs. Hand-Made Paper — Print Comparison Guide