Robert Fludd, Utriusque cosmi maioris scilicet et minores metaphysica, physica atque technica historia.
Oppenheim, Hieronymus Galler for Johann Theodor de Bry, 1617
Title page of part 1,1

Encyclopedic work by Robert Fludd (1574-1637), English Paracelsist physician and Rosicrucian apologist. Starting with the macrocosmos, Fludd's mega project discusses all known sciences, independent of dogmatic Christian theology. In all, seven folio volumes appeared in this series (1617-1626), each with its own title-page, and with many engravings by Johann Theodor de Bry and Mattheus Merian. Four illustrations, all by Merian, are here shown:

- In 'The philosophical brain' Fludd visualizes the spiritual aspects of man as abiding in certain recesses of the brain.

- The ladder of perfection shows the steps that must be taken to mount from Earth to Heaven: from the world of the senses to the inner world of imagination, hence through Reason or disciplined thought, to Intellect; from there to Intelligence, or the object of direct inner knowledge, and finally to the Word itself, which opens the supercelestial realm.

- Title-page of De natura simia. The basis for all knowledge is imitation of nature (hence the ape: aping nature). The circle shows the various sciences, beginning with arithmetic.

- 'The black quadrangle' depicts that what was, or was not, before Creation (and before Malevich): unformed matter without dimension or quantity, but extending from infinity to infinity.