Description: Original bookplate, printed for Kurt Seligmann's personal use. "Ex Libris Cabalisticis" Approx: 4 1/4" x 3 1/2" In very good + to near fine condition. Kurt Seligmann (1900–1962) was a Swiss-American Surrealist painter, engraver, and occult scholar renowned for his surreal, intricate depictions of medieval knights, troubadours, and occult rituals. Born in Basel, Switzerland, Seligmann studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Geneva and the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, later moving to Paris in 1929, where he joined the Surrealist movement under the guidance of André Breton. His work reflects a fascination with magic and the arcane, leading him to publish The Mirror of Magic in 1948, an ambitious history of magical practices. During World War II, Seligmann relocated to New York, where he continued to create art and played a key role in introducing Surrealism to the American art scene. His legacy endures through his contributions to Surrealist art and his dedication to exploring and preserving esoteric knowledge. According to an essay by Celia Rabinovitch, published on Cornell University’s website, “Kurt Seligmann designed his bookplate with symbols that read in different ways. The alchemical mark of Saturn on the image’s forehead represents lead, the primordial matter—or ‘prima materia’—that medieval alchemists transmuted into gold as an analogy to the purification of the soul. Saturn has a melancholic and thoughtful temperament; the scythe of Saturn is drawn into the face’s arched left eyebrow, suggesting inquisitiveness and skepticism. Kurt Seligmann’s interest in double images in Indigenous art may have inspired this original visual pun of the eyebrow/scythe. The scythe also indicates the sinister, literally ‘left-hand’ path of magic. The symbol on the face’s chin is that of Mercury, or ‘quicksilver,’ a mutable metal named for the Roman god of messages, travel, and exchange. Mercury takes us on the soul’s journey through dreams and secret portents.” If you have any questions, feel free to ask, and don't forget to check out my other listings.
Price: 770 USD
Location: West Chester, Pennsylvania
End Time: 2024-12-02T18:10:51.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
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Item Specifics
Return shipping will be paid by: Seller
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Language: English
Special Attributes: 1st Edition, Illustrated
Topic: Occult
Subject: Religion & Spirituality
Original/Facsimile: Original
