Evidence & Historical Context
Editorially reviewedDocumented identification
A contemporary plate derived from the black-sun image in the sixteenth-century Splendor Solis manuscript tradition.
Historical meaning
Within Splendor Solis, the black sun is associated with putrefaction and a darkening stage in that manuscript’s alchemical sequence.
Scholarly interpretation
The image belongs to a specific illustrated sequence and should not be treated as a timeless universal solar emblem or assigned one meaning across all alchemical traditions.
Modern associations
In this modern plate, the manuscript’s darkening image is associated with dissolution, mortality, trial, transformation and renewal before further change.
Research warning
Keep this alchemical manuscript image distinct from unrelated modern political or occult black-sun symbols, and do not present it as universal across alchemy.
Provenance: Contemporary plate informed by the black-sun miniature in Splendor Solis.
Context note: Keeps the historical alchemical image separate from unrelated modern political and occult uses of black-sun motifs.
Research status: reviewed · reviewed 24/07/2026
Sources
2 referencesBlack sun representing putrefaction
Edith A. Ibbs after Salomon Trismosin's Splendor Solis, Wellcome Collection reference 39761i. (Wellcome Collection)
Supports: Catalogues the black sun as one manuscript-derived image associated with putrefaction, not a universal solar insignia.
British Library Harley MS 3469, illuminated alchemical manuscript, 16th century. (British Library)
Supports: Catalogues planetary personifications, vessels, the red king, black sun, and red sun within a specific illustrated manuscript sequence.
How to cite this page
Black Sun Plate. Sanctum Hex Vault. Reviewed 24/07/2026. https://vault.sanctumhex.com/symbols/alchemical-symbols-black-sun-plate
https://vault.sanctumhex.com/symbols/alchemical-symbols-black-sun-plateOccult & Esoteric
Black Sun Plate
A modern plate inspired by the black sun in Splendor Solis, where the image belongs to a stage of putrefaction and darkening rather than a universal symbol of solar vitality.
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Sanctum Hex Archive Plaque
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Description: Crafted from 3 mm walnut plywood, chosen for its rich natural grain and warm tone, with a layered 3D laser-cut symbol and coloured inserts that bring the design to life. Each plaque is finished with a clear gloss varnish to deepen the wood’s colour and help protect the surface.
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