Alchemy and the Painter: Fedele Fischetti’s The Triumph of Night

A previously unpublished masterwork by thepainter Fedele Fischetti (1732–1792) has emerged. The Triumph of Night features the same themes that arise in Raimondo di Sangro’s(1710-1771) cryptic will of 1770 which references his deep interests in alchemy and Kabbalistic practices consistent with his grand vision of Freemasonry. Fischetti worked for di Sangro in precisely those years in which the greatest occultist of his time was most active in his experiments in alchemy and his attempts at palingenesis (resurrection). Together, might not artist and patron have created the program for his painting as a key (clavis) to understanding their shared occult worldview?

In the end, Fischetti’s work makes perfect sense as a complete hieroglyph created for the grandmaster of his Masonic lodge. Here, then, between darkness and light, silence and vision, the inner Logos unfolds into Revelation, symbolized by the blooming of the rose. Only the highest-level Freemasons, the most experienced of occultists with a profound understanding of the history of these ideas, could have seen their way through this symbolic maze. Thee painting itself therefore is both a form of spiritual alchemy as well as a record of a mystical initiation, a magical work which bridges the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.

Alchemy and the Painter: Fedele Fischetti’s The Triumph of Night will be open by appointment at the gallery at 1046 Madison Avenue, 2N (New York, NY 10075) from October 30 - December 12, 2025.

To make an appointment to visit, please contact us by email or phone. Thank you.