ALCHEMICAL SALAMANDER

A highly detailed beaded Salamander crouches amongst the flames, carefully stitched onto a burgundy coloured felt, and mounted in a 6" embroidery hoop, ready to display on your wall!

Uses a variety of reclaimed glass and plastic beads. Hoop is wooden and backed in complimentary black felt.

Size: 6"x6" - took approx. 25 hours to stitch.

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The salamander is an amphibian of the order Urodela which, as with many real creatures, often has been ascribed fantastic and sometimes occult qualities by pre-modern authors (as in the allegorical descriptions of animals in medieval bestiaries) not possessed by the real organism. The legendary salamander is often depicted as a typical salamander in shape, with a lizard-like form, but is usually ascribed an affinity with fire, sometimes specifically elemental fire.

The salamander in Alchemy represents rebirth, passion and immortality.

This piece is based on a 17th century alchemical woodcut of a Salamander, from Michael Maier's 'Atalanta Fugiens', 1617