Aureolus Philippus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim (known as PARACELSUS)
I found it appropriate to include here an excerpt from the book titled The Illustrious Scholars of the Renaissance by Louis Figuier, dated 1868.
In the Latin edition of Paracelsus’s works, published by Bitiscius, there is a magnificent engraved portrait by F. Chauveau, accompanied by the note: J. Tintoret ad vivum pinxit, which means that Tintoretto painted Paracelsus from life. In this portrait, Paracelsus is bald; he has a beard, and in his right hand he holds the doctoral cap. Bitiscius states in his preface that Tintoretto painted Paracelsus in Venice, when he was serving in the Venetian troops as a surgeon; he therefore considers this portrait to be the most accurate likeness.
Louis Figuier – 1868
The Engraving
In May 2011, I published an article on this old engraving of the great Master of Medicine, Paracelsus. During the summer of 2012, I had the idea to return to the Rare Books Collection Library at the University of Montreal, this time with better photographic equipment.
Why such an attraction to this engraving? I believe that the commonly circulated images of Paracelsus do not do justice to this great Master. Most of these portraits do not portray him faithfully.
I thought it would be a good opportunity to present here a photo of the book opened, allowing a detailed view of the context in which the engraving is presented.
It should be noted that the reproduction of the engraving was not printed directly in the book. It is rather a pasted image added after the printing process.
High-definition versions are available on my Flickr page.
Engraving by F. Chauveau, based on the painting by J. Tintoretto, taken from the book Opera omnia medico-chemico-chirurgica: tribus voluminibus comprehensa, dated 1658.
