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Welcome to the Gallery of Shadows, where one doth wander through the labyrinth of memory and beguiling art. |
Opus 46: Codex Venricus
In 2012, Jurii Kirnev did beseech the talented artist Gordon Napier to fashion a series of illustrations for his grimoire, The Five Keys of the Black Book of Venrik (also styled Codex Venricus). These works were conceived that they might unlock in man a higher faculty of consciousness, inclining the mind toward artistic and magical contemplation upon the foundations of Hermetic alchemy.
To Master Napier Jurii entrusted a detailed account of his mystical experience, entreating him to weave therein his sacred symbols and hidden code; yet Jurii did also grant the artist full liberty, that Napier might imbue the work with his peculiar vision and arcane understanding. Thus were the illustrations wrought, bearing within them both Kirnev’s secret emblems and Napier’s own, intermingled as one tapestry of knowledge.
Together they did also devise the coat of arms of their private brotherhood, the Order of Venricus... the name itself being Kirnev’s patronym reversed. These illustrations, once unveiled, swiftly gained repute amongst seekers of the occult, and anon they found their way into the theatres of moving pictures, the realms of gaming, and diverse other repositories of modern fancy. Most renowned among them is the Third Key. Albeit oft employed without comprehension of their primal intent, such use yet serves the higher purpose: to awaken the imaginative and magical faculties of man.
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Art by Gordon Napier
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Art by Gordon Napier
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Art by Gordon Napier
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Art by Gordon Napier
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Art by Gordon Napier
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Art by Gordon Napier