The Memory Palace

The Memory Palace is a 16th century work of uncertain providence, but some analysts claim it was made according to a design by Giordano Bruno. It depicts a red tower, hundreds of stories high, showing a different scene on each level. Some scenes show male and female figures, others hold collections of items or scrolls or alchemical formulae. The painting is divided into three frames, showing the base of the tower, the middle section, and the upper stories. Several panels contain occult symbols or depictions of rituals. Panel 1, Levels 13-22, for example, contain images associated with the Enochian metalanguage, while Panel 2, Level 57 clearly depicts an ANNING BLUE SKULL specimen. An estimated 30% of the tower’s levels remain unclear, although damage to the painting makes it likely that these images will never be positively identified. On its own, The Memory Palace provides very little new information; however, it has proved an excellent tool for drawing connections and finding new perspectives on existing knowledge. Currently, the original Memory Palace is in the hands of a private collector in Germany; copies of the painting are widely held by occult organisations across the world.