Lucas Jennis (aka Lukas Jennis (sic)) is best known for the alchemical and philosophical
texts that he published, despite great personal risk during a fairly intolerant time in
the late
1500's to early
1600's. In fact, it appears to almost be the
only
thing he was known for. He was considered to be one of the greatest book engravers of the
time. When you see a several hundred year-old drawing dealing with occult, religious, or
philosophical subjects, the chances are extremely high that it came from the House of de
Bry,
Matthieu Merian, or Lucas Jennis. Most published
emblem texts of this time were
published, or at least republished and edited, by Lucas Jennis at his house on Main, in
Frankfurt,
Germany. He was almost certainly a member of the
Rosicrucian movement during that time, though I could not find absolute confirmation on this.
Very little can be found about the Jennis family. His widowed mother married into the de
Bry family, for the most part merging the two houses. Those whom knew Jennis considered
him to be a very charitable and likeable person, with a near unmatched talent for making
illustrative book plates. He was intimately acquainted with many noted alchemists and
philosophers, such as
Basil Valentine,
Nicholas Barnaud,
Johann Daniel Mylius,
Daniel Stolcius,
Robert Fludd, John Dee], and
Michael Maier. Michael Maier (a prolific alchemical author himself) often published with him.
Lucas Jennis is credited with publishing the following titles:
- Musaeum Hermeticum, 1625 (a Compendium of Hermetic Alchemy texts, lit. Hermetic Museum)
- Philosophia Mystica: The Prophesies of the Prophet Daniel
- Viridarium chymicum, 1624 (The Life of Chemicals? - This is sometimes also referred to as the Chemical Pleasure Garden, though I believe that is incorrect).
- Chymisches LustgÃĪrtlein, 1624 (The Chemical Pleasure Garden)
- Tripus Aureus, Frankfurt, 1618 (12 Keys of Basil Valentine, lit. 'Golden Tripod')
- Viatorium Spagyricum, 1625 (?)
- Dyas chymica tripartita, 1625 (Book of Alze, The Book of Lambspring)
- Harmoniae Inperscrutabilis Chymico-Philosophicae (The Inscrutable Chemical Philosophical Harmony)
- The Artis Auriferae, 1613, (The Art of Making Gold)
- Philosophia Reformata, 1622 (?)