Elemental Qualities Untitled woodcut Art by the Aldine Press Illustration from Petrus Bonus’s Pretiosa margarita novella de thesauro ac pretiosissimo philosophorum lapide (1546)
Aristotle’s Hylomorphism and the Four Elements
This woodcut presents the Aristotelian doctrine of elemental transformation as it passed into medieval and early modern alchemy. At the center is the cross of contraria — opposites — through which the four elements are defined by their paired qualities: hot, cold, wet, and dry. In Aristotle’s physics, the elements are not fixed substances in the modern chemical sense. They are simple bodies capable of changing into one another because each shares one quality with its neighbor and differs by another. Fire, Air, Water, and Earth therefore form a living cycle of transformation.
Aristotle on Elemental Change
"The elements must change into one another." —Aristotle
"It is evident that all the simple bodies are by nature such as to change into one another... for generation is into contraries and out of contraries, and all the elements possess contrariety in relation to one another." —Aristotle De Generatione et Corruptione (c. 350 BC)
"The qualities that constitute the elements are four, and their combinations determine the number of the elements to be four. Two of the qualities, the hot and the cold, are active; two, the dry and the moist, passive." —Aristotle Meteorologica (c. 340 BC)
"Let an element therefore be to us that among the bodies into which the other bodies are divided as into one potentially or actually contained in them... and which itself can no longer be divided into others different in kind..." —Aristotle De Caelo (c. 350 BC)
The Doctrine of Matter and Form
Aristotle’s hylomorphism teaches that natural things are composed of matter and form. Matter is the underlying potentiality of a thing; form is the organizing principle that makes the thing what it is. The elements participate in this doctrine because each element is defined by a particular form of qualities impressed upon underlying matter. When those qualities change, the element itself can change. Fire may become Air by losing dryness and receiving moisture. Air may become Water by losing heat and receiving cold. Water may become Earth by losing moisture and receiving dryness. Earth may become Fire by losing cold and receiving heat. This is the philosophical ground beneath the alchemical idea of transmutation: change is possible because nature is not dead mechanism, but potency receiving form.
The Four Elements and Their Qualities
The square diagram uses allegorical figures to show the Aristotelian theory of matter. Each element is represented by a living creature or celestial figure, and each is joined to two qualities:
Fire — Ignis Represented by the Angel at the top. Qualities: Calidvs — Hot, and Siccvs — Dry.
Air — Aer Represented by the Bird on the left, likely an ibis or heron. Qualities: Calidvs — Hot, and Hvmidvs — Wet.
Water — Aqva Represented by the Dragon at the bottom. Qualities: Hvmida — Wet, and Frigida — Cold.
Earth — Terra Represented by the Bear on the right. Qualities: Sicca — Dry, and Frigida — Cold.
The Cross of Contraries
The central cross marks the field of opposition. The elements are generated through contraries: hot against cold, wet against dry, active against passive. This does not mean that the elements are enemies. Rather, their opposition is the very mechanism of change. Each element stands at a crossing point of qualities, and transformation occurs when one quality is exchanged for its contrary.
The Alchemical Meaning
In the alchemical tradition, Aristotle’s elemental theory became more than natural philosophy. It became a symbolic grammar for the Work. If the elements can change into one another, then matter is not final in its present state. It can be purified, recombined, elevated, and brought into a more perfect form. The alchemical laboratory therefore becomes a place where the philosopher studies not only metals and minerals, but the hidden laws of transformation itself.
The Alchemical Apparatus
At the bottom of the woodcut are five vessels from the early modern laboratory. These instruments were used for heating, receiving, circulating, and distilling substances.
Open Cucurbit / Receiver A wide-mouthed vessel used either as a base container for boiling substances or as a receiver for collecting distillate.
End Cap A flat-topped cap used to seal a vessel and guide vapors back into the mixture as they condense.
Bail Container A lidded jar or vessel with a handle, used for holding, heating, transporting, or receiving prepared substances.
Simple Alembic A distillation head with a downward spout, used to collect condensed vapors and direct them into another vessel.
Pelican / Double Alembic A circulation vessel or condensing head associated with repeated return, reflux, and the continual refinement of the substance.