Symbolica
Rivers in the Wilderness, with Serpents and Fire

Rivers in the Wilderness, with Serpents and Fire

The Serpent and the Dragon as the central motif, with Fire in a secondary part. From The Flamel figures.

From the figures attributed to Nicolas Flamel, hand-coloured, date not recorded.

Public Domain Mark · Web copy 1006 by 1400 px · Wellcome Collection

Key · 2 motifs

The motifs the picture carries, filed by role. The marks on the picture itself come with the entry.

  1. 1The Serpent and the Dragoncentral motif
  2. 2Firesecondary motif

The picture

Rivers run down a wilderness in blue bands; serpents and flames between them; a small bush at the foot; the Serpent and the Dragon as the central motif, Fire by eye. By eye

Not yet decoded: the key and the sourced notes come with the entry. Until then the motifs above are tagged by eye and said so.

Also carrying the Serpent and the Dragon

11 works, 2 with it as the central motif. The symbol.

Also carrying Fire

5 works. The symbol.

In the same series

The Hieroglyphic Figures attributed to Nicolas Flamel

Record

Source
Wellcome Collection
Rights
Public Domain Mark. Wellcome Collection marks the work as free of known copyright restrictions.
Restoration
None. A 1006 by 1400 pixel web copy made from the source file; nothing retouched, nothing upscaled.
Series
The Hieroglyphic Figures attributed to Nicolas Flamel
Titled here
Rivers in the Wilderness, with Serpents and Fire. Wellcome Collection catalogues it as: Rivers running in the wilderness, with serpents and fire between them; representing the stage of 'multiplication' in the alchemical process. Coloured etching after etching, ca. 17th century.
Checked
Wellcome Collection's own catalogue record, 4 September 2026: the rights, the maker, the date, accession dgqmayuk. The title on this page is ours, as the line above says. Not seen in the gallery.
By email · free

One symbol a week, decoded.

This picture is free at full size from its source, linked above. What an address gets is the Sunday letter: one picture, one symbol marked on it, what it meant and who said so, and the master files of the decoded plates as they are verified. Leave any time.

Cite
Symbolica, “Rivers in the Wilderness, with Serpents and Fire”, From the figures attributed to Nicolas Flamel, hand-coloured, date not recorded. thesymbolica.com/work/rivers-in-the-wilderness-with-serpents-and-fire/