Wandering the back streets of Prague, it’s easy to forget you’re in a bustling city. Prague is like that – busy in one street but quiet and residential in another.

Around Namesti Republiky (Republic Square) perhaps you saw the Powder Tower, or the house of the Golden Sun. It follows that you will spend most of the rest of your time staring up at the facades of buildings wondering what else you’re going to see.

If you walk down Zlatnicka street you won’t be disappointed.

Especially at number 7.

Which is called “The House of the Golden Ship”

The street is narrow so you will miss this unless you are right opposite the slightly grubby building. It is only two storeys high but there, on a semi-circle, you can see a relief of a ship loaded with a barrel and an anchor. A sailor stands at the bow of the ship. This relief is bookended by statues – Mercury on its right and Fortuna on its left. Mercury is recognisable since he holds the caduceus. Fortuna holds a cornucopia but it isn’t immediately obvious from street level.

The scene seems to be nothing more than an allegory, perhaps even a celebration of a growing trade. Close examination reveals a few hidden secrets:

1. Mercury is the protector of travellers so having him next to such a scene seems to make sense. Mercury is also the founder of alchemy and this is the hidden message behind his presence.
   But what if it was just a coincidence? Consider then …
2. Fortuna, as the goddess of luck, is a symbol of a positive future. Imagery associated with Fortuna include naval artefacts like a rudder or a ships’ bow. In the relief, the bow is pointing towards her. Reading from left to right, the alchemist starts with mercury and is on a path to a more successful future.
   What does this tell us about the relief itself then?
3. Look at a map and you will see that the relief is positioned along a north-south axis. The ship on the relief is navigating towards north.
   Does this mean anything? Well …
4. In mediaeval mythology, Remora fish lived in the polar region. These extraordinary fish have the ability to attach themselves to objects, including boats. The word ‘remora’ means ‘delay’ as this would have affected a boat’s progress. People thought that these fish had a reason to slow down boats. Pliny the Elder blames the fish for the defeat of Marc Antony at the Battle of Actium!¹ They thought of the fish as warning signs. They thought that if they could only get to the polar region and tame the fish, they would be guided safely to their destination. Of course, to get there, you need to be facing north which explains the relief’s positioning.

This suggests that the person who built this house was an alchemist, and possibly quite confident about his skills.

Have you seen any other allegories of alchemy in Prague?

References

1. How the sharksucker got its suction disc; Becky Crew; Scientific American; 2013-02-04[↩]

Remember: links were correct at time of publication.