ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 considers how deeply Lethaby's work was influenced by alchemical symbolism. The analysis includes a detailed reading of the fifteenth-century esoteric text Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (1499), and exploration of its relationship to Lethaby's work. The chapter details how Lethaby's extensive and in-depth study of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, along with its numerous woodcut illustrations, was a fruitful endeavour, which resulted in the production of three drawings: A Garden Enclosed (1889); the frontispiece for the Architectural Association Sketchbook (1889); and an unpublished invitation designed for the Architectural Association annual dinner (1891). The book also inspired Lethaby's design for the font and canopy of St John the Baptist Church in Low Bentham, Yorkshire (1890). These works are examined in detail as part of this chapter.
