The cipher of Emperor Rudolf II’s “Alchemical Hand Bell”

Aug 20, 2026

We examine a cipher inscribed in Emperor Rudolf II’s “Alchemical Hand Bell” preserved in the Kunstkammer context. The study reconstructs relevant historical background of the bell, corrects a previously published transcription, and conducts statistical analysis of the ciphertext. It then evaluates candidate encryption methods and potential plaintext languages. On this basis, the work explores likely digraphic and polyphonic cipher structures and summarizes how such ciphers were used within their historical settings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction and Description

Statistical analysis

The cipher of Emperor Rudolf II’s “Alchemical Hand Bell” Richard Bean Corinna Gannon School of Information Technology Städel Museum & Electrical Engineering Dürerstrasse 2 University of Queensland 60596 Frankfurt am Main Australia 4072 Germany [r. bean1@uq. edu. au](r. bean1@uq. edu. au) gannon@staedelmuseum. de Sarah Lang University of Graz Elisabethstraße 59/III 8042 Graz Austria [sarah. lang@uni-graz. at](sarah. lang@uni-graz. at) Abstract We examine a cipher found inscribed in the so-called “Alchemical Hand Bell”from the Kunstkammer of Emperor Rudolf II. We provide insight into the bell’s history, a correction for an existing published transcription, perform statistical analysis of the ciphertext, and look at possible encryption methods and plaintext languages. Given the analysis, we examine the possibilities of digraphic and polyphonic ciphers and give a brief overview of how these were used in the historical context. 1 Introduction and Description Figure 1: Hans de Bull,“Alchemical Hand Bell”of Emperor Rudolf II, ca. 1600, h. 7,8 cm; d. 6,3 cm, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, inv. no. Kunstkammer, 5969. [https://www.khm.at/](https://www.khm.at/)[ ](https://www.khm.at/)[objektdb/detail/91976/](objektdb/detail/91976/. Source of images:)[. Source of images:](objektdb/detail/91976/. Source of images:)[ ](objektdb/detail/91976/. Source of images:)Gannon (2019) . Figure 2: See figure 1 . Around 1600, the Prague goldsmith Hans de Bull cast two hand bells for Emperor Rudolf II (1552–1612) . One of them has survived the past four centuries and is nowadays on display in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) in Vienna (figures 1 and 2) .1 This little Kunstkammer piece is fascinating in many ways. From a letter by the artist we know that it was cast from an alloy of the seven planetary metals – gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, tin and mercury – before it was gilt.2 This was confirmed in a recently conducted XRF-analysis at the KHM.3 Such a sevenfold alloy had been described by the Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus (1493/4–1541) who called it Electrum and provided astrological and alchemical instructions for creating efficacious artefacts out of it in his text corpus Archidoxis magica (Huser, 1590, Appendix, pp. 115–130) . 1Hans de Bull, “Alchemical Hand Bell” of Emperor Rudolf II, ca. 1600, h. 7,8 cm; d. 6,3 cm, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, [inv. no. Kunstkammer](inv. no. Kunstkammer), 5969. [https:](https:)//[www.khm.at/objektdb/detail/91976/](www.khm.at/objektdb/detail/91976/) . 2Prague, archive Pražského hradu, Dvorská komora, box 5, no. 698 [http://documenta.rudolphina.com/](http://documenta.rudolphina.com/)[ ](http://documenta.rudolphina.com/)[Regesten/A1612-10-00-02669.xml](Regesten/A1612-10-00-02669.xml) 3The results of this analysis will appear in Gannon (2024) . The sound of bells made from Electrum was supposed to summon planetary spirits and deities in order to provide their user insight into the secrets of the cosmos and therefore wisdom and power.4 Emperor Rudolf II, who admired the Paracelsian philosophy and fostered the study of alchemy and natural magic at his court, must have been fascinated by such a promising material and likely appreciated a successful realization for his exquisite collection. Whereas the “Alchemical Hand Bell’s” intellectual and art historical background have been studied and reconstructed extensively (Bukovinská and Purš, 2010; Tilton, 2015; Gannon, 2019; Gannon, 2023b; Gannon, 2023a; Gannon, 2024)5 , a cryptological riddle remains tobe solved. The decoration of the bell’s mantle allows for a straightforward interpretation – the seven full-figure planetary deities, the corresponding signs of the zodiac, the symbols of the seven planets and metals, as well as a number of pseudoChaldean and pseudo-Arabic letters, visualize the interdependence between macro-and microcosm. A mystery is the spiraling Greek inscription that was carved into the ins

FAQs

What artifact is the cipher connected to?

The cipher is inscribed in the “Alchemical Hand Bell” associated with Emperor Rudolf II, housed in a Kunstkammer context.

What contributions does the study make besides presenting the ciphertext?

It provides historical insight, corrects an existing published transcription, and performs statistical analysis to evaluate encryption and plaintext possibilities.

Which cipher types are examined as potential explanations for the inscription?

The analysis considers possibilities for digraphic and polyphonic ciphers and briefly reviews their historical use.

Aug 20, 2026

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