Watercolour illustrations to a memoir of Nicolas Flamel and his wife

Nicolas Flamel and his wife Perenelle are depicted in this illustration of a memorial they commissioned to the Holy Innocents. They can be seen praying at the top beside St Paul (with the sword) and St Peter (with the key). Although Flamel was once believed to have discovered the Philosopher’s Stone, in reality the couple made their wealth from property. This illustration was made to accompany a biography of Flamel, which cast doubt on his reputation as an alchemist. Shown here: ff. 13v–14r