The Mystery of the Human Head or The Philosophical Brain

The Philosophical Mind - Fludd
Originally uploaded by mimmi.

For years i have, from time to time, been thinking of a certain picture that I associate with the Mind Module. I have done futile image searches based on key words i thought may give a hit. Today i I stumbled over it while browsing for posters.

The picture is called "The Mystery of the Human Head" or "The philosophical brain", and appeared in a book by the hermetic artist Robert Fludd (1574 - 1632). Utriusque cosmi maioris scilicet et minores metaphysica, physica atque technica historia was published in 1617 (Oppenheim) and came in seven volumes. In the picture Fludd visualizes the spiritual aspects of man as abiding in certain recesses of the brain. The illustration is made by Merian. After som searching i found a picture of a microfilm that has a high enough resolution for seeing what is written in the illustration. Finally! A four year long curiosity is satisfied.


Sources:

• Wikipedia on Fludd
• JR Ritman Library Bibliotheca Philosifica Hermetica - Illustrations and information
• Echo - European Cultural Heritage Online - Utriusque Cosmi maioris salicet et minoris metaphysica possible to browse page by page.
• Bill Heidrick's Cross References - Downloadable PDF of Utriusque Cosmi maioris salicet et minoris metaphysica