Alchemical Imagery in the Works of Quirinus Kuhlmann (1651 - 1689)

The widely known chiliast thinker and German baroque poet Quirinus Kuhlmann (1651-1689) was interested in alchemy. His knowledge of the subject was based both on books and on personal acquaintance with many alchemists - some famous, some little known. Kuhlmann freely discussed his ideas with these adepts, and their theories may well have had a considerable influence on him. Similarly, Kuhlmann may have inspired certain alchemists, and thus traces a dialogue between literature and science during the Scientific Revolution -that period which saw the emergence of modern scientific nomenclature-can be found in Kuhlmann's writings. This work was originally planned as an attempt to solve the widely acknowledged problem found in studies of the Silesian baroque poet, Quirinus Kuhlmann - alchemy's impact on his works. Though the problem has been frequently noted, no special study has been made of it, and references to it have never been seriously explored. That Kuhlmann was interested in alchemy is generally accepted as a given, but without particular verification: though it is self-evident through Kuhlmann's references to known alchemists, the character and intensity of alchemy's influence on him remains unclear.