Ruth Clydesdale

Independent Scholar

Seeing the World Soul: Ficino and Talismanic Art

Abstract

In his De Vita Libri Tres, Marsilio Ficino cautiously describes the methods for inscribing magical figures upon stone and metal. He also regales the reader with a tale of how such talismans can go disastrously wrong. However, he overcomes his hesitation and doubts sufficiently to recommend the creation of an archetypal talisman that would result in a work of art or craftsmanship of considerable complexity. This representation of the cosmos is intended as an object of meditation, and its use signifies the pinnacle of a progression of spiritual exercises linked to the planets. I shall argue that Ficino's known links with practising artists makes it entirely possible that other paintings from 15th century Florence were intended as magical items that could play a role in the planetary magic that Ficino espoused.

Biography

Ruth Clydesdale is an author, astrologer and independent researcher, holding an MA in Renaissance Studies from Birkbeck College, University of London, and the Diploma of the Faculty of Astrological Studies. She is the author of Hermes: The Soul's Companion (2009), Secret Wisdom (2009) and The Happiness Handbook (2011), and her articles on astrology have been published in the UK, USA and Europe.