Triumphant Chariot of Antinomy #926874

Basil Valentine, or Basilus Valentinus in Latin, is one of the most enigmatic and influential figures in the history of alchemy. Traditionally described as a Benedictine monk from Erfurt, Germany, who lived around the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century, Valentine’s historical existence remains uncertain; many scholars consider him a pseudonymous figure, perhaps a literary construct used to give authority to a series of alchemical treatises circulating in the early modern period. Whether real or symbolic, Basil Valentine came to embody the ideal of the Christian alchemist—both a seeker of divine truth and a master of material transformation.
Among the works attributed to Basil Valentine, The Triumphant Chariot of Antimony (Triumphal Chariot of Antimony) is undoubtedly the most famous. First published in German in the early seventeenth century and later in Latin in 1604, it presents a detailed exposition of the preparation and therapeutic virtues of antimony compounds. The text is couched in the allegorical style typical of alchemical literature, blending visionary imagery with concrete technical instructions. Valentine’s chariot symbolizes both the purification of matter and the soul’s ascent through the trials of transformation. The treatise illustrates antimony’s “triumph” as a substance capable of healing the body and illuminating the alchemist’s understanding of nature’s hidden processes.