Masonic Museum Latvia

15/09/2026

Sir Michael John de Rougemont Richardson — “Mr Privatisation”. Past Master’s jewel of Tuscan Lodge No. 14, 1960

A Past Master’s jewel of one of London’s oldest Masonic lodges, Tuscan Lodge No. 14, has entered the Museum collection. It was presented in 1960 to Michael John de Rougemont Richardson. The man who owned this jewel would later become one of the most prominent international financiers of the second half of the 20th century, a senior leader of N. M. Rothschild & Sons and one of the figures most closely associated with the British privatisation programme of the Margaret Thatcher era.

Sir Michael John de Rougemont Richardson (1925–2003) was born in London and educated at Harrow School. During the Second World War he served as an officer in the Irish Guards, was seriously wounded during the fighting around Nijmegen in the Netherlands, and later continued his military service in the Middle East.

After the war Richardson entered the City of London. He became a partner at Panmure Gordon in 1952 and in 1971 moved to Cazenove, one of Britain’s most prestigious stockbroking houses. In 1981 Sir Evelyn de Rothschild invited him to join N. M. Rothschild & Sons. Richardson became Managing Director of the bank, serving from 1981 to 1990, and subsequently Vice-Chairman until 1994.

It was during his Rothschild years that Richardson acquired the sobriquet “Mr Privatisation”. He became one of the leading City figures involved in implementing the wide-ranging privatisation programme of Margaret Thatcher’s government. Rothschild advised the British government on the privatisations of British Gas and British Petroleum and participated in the restructuring of the electricity and water industries. Richardson understood that privatisation represented not only a transformation of the British economy but also the creation of a new international advisory business. Under his leadership Rothschild began exporting this expertise to governments abroad, developing one of the most influential privatisation advisory practices in international investment banking.

Richardson stood at the centre of Britain’s financial and political establishment, was involved in major corporate transactions and maintained relationships with many of the leading businessmen and politicians of his time. In 1990 he was knighted for his services to finance.

A less widely known aspect of his life was his long involvement in Freemasonry. As early as 1959–1960, at only 34 years of age, Richardson served as Worshipful Master of one of London’s oldest lodges, Tuscan Lodge No. 14. His Masonic activity later continued at a senior institutional level, and during the 1980s he served as Chairman of the Royal Masonic Hospital.

Tuscan Lodge No. 14 traces its history to November 1722, when its predecessor met at the Lion tavern in Brewer Street, Golden Square, London. Through successive changes in Grand Lodge numbering it eventually became Lodge No. 14. Tuscan is also one of the historic Grand Steward or “Red Apron Lodges”, a select group with distinctive ceremonial traditions and the characteristic use of red regalia.

That tradition is reflected in Richardson’s Past Master’s jewel. It is suspended from a dark-red ribbon bearing a column of the Tuscan architectural order and the Lodge number “14”. The column is a direct visual reference to the Lodge’s name: the Tuscan is one of the five classical architectural orders, distinguished by its simplicity, solidity and restrained form. The main jewel is the traditional English Past Master’s emblem — a square enclosing a suspended plate depicting the 47th Proposition of the First Book of Euclid, the Pythagorean theorem. The upper part of the square is set with rubies. The jewel is made of silver with gilding.

On the reverse of the jewel, the owner’s surname is engraved as “RICHARSON”, with the letter D omitted. This was most likely an engraver’s error: the initials M. J. de R., the association with Tuscan Lodge No. 14, the presentation date — 1960 — and the owner’s biographical details all point to Michael John de Rougemont Richardson.

The object therefore brings together two very different chapters in the life of one man: the young London Freemason who led one of England’s oldest lodges in 1959–1960, and the later Sir Michael Richardson — internationally known financier, Rothschild leader and one of the defining financial figures of Britain’s privatisation era.

Сэр Майкл Джон де Ружмон Ричардсон — «Mr Privatisation». Знак Бывшего Досточтимого мастера Tuscan Lodge No. 14, 1960 год

В коллекцию музея поступил знак Бывшего Досточтимого мастера одной из старейших лондонских масонских лож — Tuscan Lodge No. 14, вручённый в 1960 году Майклу Джону де Ружмон Ричардсону (Michael John de Rougemont Richardson). Человек, которому принадлежал этот знак, впоследствии стал одним из выдающихся международных финансистов второй половины XX века, руководителем N. M. Rothschild & Sons и одной из фигур, чьё имя оказалось тесно связано с масштабной британской приватизацией эпохи Маргарет Тэтчер.

Сэр Майкл Джон де Ружмон Ричардсон (1925–2003) родился в Лондоне и учился в Harrow School. Во время Второй мировой войны он служил офицером Irish Guards, был тяжело ранен в боях у Неймегена в Нидерландах и позднее продолжил военную службу на Ближнем Востоке.

После войны Ричардсон начал карьеру в лондонском Сити. В 1952 году он стал партнёром Panmure Gordon, а в 1971 году перешёл в Cazenove — один из наиболее престижных британских брокерских домов. В 1981 году Sir Evelyn de Rothschild пригласил его в N. M. Rothschild & Sons. Ричардсон занял должность Managing Director банка и руководил им в 1981–1990 годах, после чего до 1994 года был Vice-Chairman.

Именно в период работы в Rothschild Ричардсон получил прозвище «Mr Privatisation». Он стал одним из ключевых представителей лондонского Сити, участвовавших в реализации масштабной приватизационной программы правительства Маргарет Тэтчер. Rothschild консультировал британское правительство при приватизации British Gas и British Petroleum, а также участвовал в преобразовании электроэнергетической отрасли и водного хозяйства.

Ричардсон одним из первых увидел в приватизации не только инструмент реформирования британской экономики, но и новое направление международного инвестиционно-банковского бизнеса. При нём Rothschild начал активно переносить накопленный британский опыт в другие страны, консультируя правительства по продаже и реорганизации государственных активов. Это направление стало одним из наиболее влиятельных международных бизнесов Rothschild в области государственного финансового консультирования.

Ричардсон находился в самом центре британской финансовой и политической элиты, участвовал в крупнейших корпоративных сделках и поддерживал контакты с ведущими предпринимателями и политиками своего времени. В 1990 году за заслуги в финансовой сфере он был посвящён в рыцари.

Гораздо менее известна другая сторона его биографии — многолетняя деятельность в масонстве. Уже в 1959–1960 годах, в возрасте всего 34 лет, Ричардсон занимал должность Досточтимого мастера одной из старейших лондонских лож — Tuscan Lodge No. 14. Позднее его масонская деятельность продолжилась на высоком институциональном уровне: в 1980-х годах он занимал пост председателя Royal Masonic Hospital.

История Tuscan Lodge No. 14 восходит к ноябрю 1722 года, когда её предшественница собиралась в таверне Lion на Brewer Street, Golden Square в Лондоне. После последующих изменений нумерации английских лож она получила номер 14. Tuscan Lodge также относится к исторической группе Grand Steward Lodges, или «Red Apron Lodges», обладающих особыми церемониальными традициями и характерными красными регалиями.

Эта традиция непосредственно отражена и в знаке Ричардсона. Он подвешен на тёмно-красной ленте, на которой помещена колонна тосканского архитектурного ордера с номером ложи «14». Колонна представляет собой прямую визуальную отсылку к названию Tuscan Lodge: тосканский ордер — один из пяти классических архитектурных ордеров, отличающийся простотой, массивностью и строгой формой.

Основную часть знака образует традиционная английская эмблема Бывшего Досточтимого мастера — наугольник с подвешенной внутри пластиной, на которой изображена 47-я теорема первой книги Евклида — теорема Пифагора. Верхняя часть наугольника украшена рубинами. Знак изготовлен из серебра с золочением.

На оборотной стороне знака фамилия владельца выгравирована как «RICHARSON», с пропущенной буквой D. По всей видимости, это ошибка гравёра: инициалы M. J. de R., принадлежность к Tuscan Lodge No. 14, дата вручения — 1960 год — и биографические данные владельца указывают на Майкла Джона де Ружмон Ричардсона (Michael John de Rougemont Richardson).

Таким образом, один небольшой масонский предмет соединяет два очень разных этапа жизни своего владельца: молодого лондонского масона, возглавлявшего в 1959–1960 годах одну из старейших лож Англии, и будущего сэра Майкла Ричардсона — международно известного финансиста, руководителя Rothschild и одного из наиболее характерных представителей эпохи британской приватизации.

11/09/2026

Diploma of Caspar Friedrich Zeller. “Zu den drei Verbündeten” Lodge. Düsseldorf, 13 March 1818.

The diploma was issued to Caspar Friedrich Zeller (born 26 October 1795) — a German entrepreneur whose name is preserved in that of the still-existing company C.F. Zeller. The business was founded by his father, Johann Georg Zeller, in 1806. Following his father’s death in 1822, Caspar Friedrich took over the family business. The company’s present name retains his initials — C.F., Caspar Friedrich.

The history of the Zeller family is closely connected with the first decades of the development of lithography. In 1809, Johann Georg Zeller acquired an interest in the lithographic equipment of Alois Senefelder, the inventor of lithography, and began publishing activities. In 1815, Zeller’s lithographic establishment passed to the artist and lithographer Josef Anton Selb; in 1817, Selb produced a series of 36 lithographs depicting prominent personalities.

It was during this period, on 13 March 1818, that the 22-year-old Caspar Friedrich Zeller was issued this Masonic diploma. In the same year, the Zeller enterprise occupied a notable place in Munich’s artistic life: Johann Georg Zeller organised Munich’s first art and industrial exhibition, which was visited by King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria.

The document was issued by the Düsseldorf lodge “Zu den drei Verbündeten” (“The Three Allies”). It was founded on 6 August 1806, during the Napoleonic Grand Duchy of Berg, originally under the name “Zum heiligen Joachim”. The name was associated with the ruler of the state, Joachim Murat — Marshal of France, Napoleon’s brother-in-law, and a Freemason. The lodge received its constitution from the Grand Orient de France. Following the end of French rule, in early 1814 it joined the Berlin-based Große National-Mutterloge “Zu den drei Weltkugeln” and continued its activities under the name “Zu den drei Verbündeten”.

The diploma therefore belongs to a transitional period in European history immediately following the Napoleonic Wars, when Masonic lodges in the Rhineland were moving from French organisational structures into the Prussian Masonic system. A substantial archive of the “Zu den drei Verbündeten” Lodge has survived, including membership lists, circulars and other documents dating from the earliest years of its existence; the lodge’s archival collection is preserved in the Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz in Berlin.

Of particular interest is the subsequent history of the name C.F. Zeller itself. The company survived numerous transformations, the destruction of its Munich premises during the Second World War, and its subsequent reconstruction. Today, C.F. Zeller GmbH continues to operate in Germany in the field of office supplies and workplace equipment. Since 2018, its headquarters have been located in Weßling, near Munich. Thus, the initials of the man to whom this Masonic diploma was issued more than two centuries ago continue to live on in the name of an active German company.

The diploma brings together several characteristic themes of early nineteenth-century European history: Freemasonry during and after the Napoleonic era, the emergence of German entrepreneurship, and the early spread of lithography — one of the most important new printing technologies of its time.

Диплом Каспара Фридриха Целлера. Ложа «Zu den drei Verbündeten». Дюссельдорф, 13 марта 1818 года.

Диплом выдан Каспару Фридриху Целлеру (Caspar Friedrich Zeller, род. 26 октября 1795) — немецкому предпринимателю, чьё имя сохраняется в названии существующей по сей день компании C.F. Zeller. Предприятие было основано его отцом, Иоганном Георгом Целлером (Johann Georg Zeller), в 1806 году. После смерти отца в 1822 году Каспар Фридрих возглавил семейное дело. Современное название компании сохраняет его инициалы — C.F., Caspar Friedrich.

История семьи Zeller тесно связана с первыми десятилетиями развития литографии. В 1809 году Johann Georg Zeller приобрёл долю в литографическом оборудовании Алоиза Зенефельдера (Alois Senefelder), изобретателя литографии, и начал издательскую деятельность. В 1815 году принадлежавшее Zeller литографическое предприятие перешло к художнику и литографу Josef Anton Selb; в 1817 году Selb выпустил серию из 36 литографий с портретами знаменитых людей.

Именно в этот период, 13 марта 1818 года, 22-летнему Caspar Friedrich Zeller был выдан этот масонский диплом. В том же 1818 году предприятие Zeller находилось в центре художественной жизни Мюнхена: Johann Georg Zeller организовал первую мюнхенскую художественно-промышленную выставку, которую посетил король Баварии Максимилиан I Иосиф.

Документ выдан дюссельдорфской ложей «Zu den drei Verbündeten» («К трём союзникам»). Она была основана 6 августа 1806 года, в период наполеоновского Великого герцогства Берг, первоначально под названием «Zum heiligen Joachim». Название было связано с правителем государства Иоахимом Мюратом — маршалом Франции, зятем Наполеона и масоном. Ложа получила конституцию от Grand Orient de France. После окончания французского господства она в начале 1814 года присоединилась к берлинской Große National-Mutterloge «Zu den drei Weltkugeln» и стала работать под названием «Zu den drei Verbündeten».

Таким образом, диплом относится к переходному периоду европейской истории непосредственно после Наполеоновских войн, когда масонские ложи Рейнской области переходили от французских организационных структур к прусским. Сохранился значительный архив ложи «Zu den drei Verbündeten», включая списки её членов, циркуляры и другие документы начиная с первых лет её существования; архивный фонд ложи хранится в Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz в Берлине.

Особый интерес представляет дальнейшая история самого имени C.F. Zeller. Компания пережила многочисленные изменения, разрушение своего мюнхенского здания во время Второй мировой войны и последующее восстановление. Сегодня C.F. Zeller GmbH продолжает деятельность в Германии как компания в сфере офисных товаров и оснащения рабочих мест. С 2018 года её штаб-квартира находится в Веслингe (Weßling) близ Мюнхена. Таким образом, инициалы человека, которому более двух столетий назад был выдан этот масонский диплом, продолжают существовать в названии действующей немецкой компании.

Диплом соединяет сразу несколько характерных сюжетов европейской истории начала XIX века: масонство наполеоновской и посленаполеоновской эпохи, становление немецкого предпринимательства и первые годы распространения литографии — одной из важнейших новых технологий печати своего времени.

03/08/2026

Master Mason's kit Hilaire Guénin. Philadelphia, 1802-1803.

This week's exhibit is a masonic kit of the beginning of the XIX century. It includes a master mason diploma of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, a master inscription and a lifelike portrait of their French owner Hilaire Guénin.

The diploma was issued in Philadelphia in 1802 to French Lodge No. 73, which worked under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and united French-speaking immigrants arriving in the United States following the French Revolution. The document certifies Genin's elevation to the degree of Master Mason and is signed by the leaders of the Pennsylvania Grand Lodge, including the future Grand Master James Milnor.

A portrait of the owner is of special value. It is attributed as the work of Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin, 1770–1852) was a French artist and engraver who emigrated to the United States and became one of the largest American portraitists of the early republic. It was Saint-Memen that created a famous series of profile portraits of prominent United States figures, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Marshall, Charles Coatsworth Pinckney, and hundreds of other politicians, military, scientists and public figures. His works are today housed in the National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institute National Portrait Gallery, and the United States Library of Congress.

The National Gallery of Art in Washington houses the 1803 engraving of "Guenin" by Saint-Memen, completely coincides with the painting shown here. Most likely, this drawing is an original portrait that served as the basis for the subsequent printed engraving.

08/07/2026

Franz Georg Kronauer's Album with the Autograph of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Facsimile Edition. Vienna, 1932.

Object of the Week – one of the rarest facsimile editions connected with the Masonic life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his circle. It reproduces the celebrated Stammbuch (friendship album) of the Viennese Freemason Franz Georg Kronauer, a member of the lodge Zur neugekrönten Hoffnung ("New-Crowned Hope"), to which Mozart also belonged. The original album is preserved in the Austrian National Library.
The album is a unique collection of autographs by prominent figures of the Enlightenment. In addition to Mozart, it contains entries by the composer Joseph Martin Kraus; the writers Otto von Gemmingen, Aloys Blumauer, Johann Baptist Alxinger, and Gottlieb Leon; the celebrated actor of the Vienna Court Theatre Johann Heinrich Friedrich Müller; the violinist Joseph Zistler; and one of the leading figures of the European Enlightenment and Freemasonry, Ignaz von Born. The album is therefore not only a Mozart relic but also an important documentary source for the intellectual and Masonic circles of Vienna in the 1780s.
Around 1932, the Viennese publisher Max Jaffé produced a high-quality phototype facsimile edition in a limited run of approximately 200 copies, about 160 of which were distributed to Masonic lodges in the United States. Owing to its extremely small edition, the facsimile has itself become a bibliographical rarity. Surviving copies are known in the archives of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) and in the museum of the Grand Lodge of Sweden in Stockholm. The present copy was discovered in Australia.
The most celebrated page of the album is Mozart's entry, written on 30 March 1787. In the lower right corner of the page he wrote:
"Patience and tranquillity of mind contribute more to cure our distempers than the whole art of medicine."
The English maxim used by Mozart has been identified as a quotation from a popular eighteenth-century English schoolbook rather than an original composition. Beneath the quotation, Mozart signed his name and indicated his membership in the lodge Zur neugekrönten Hoffnung.

07/07/2026

Is Freemasonry connected with the Jesuits?
The contacts of certain branches of Freemasonry with the Jesuits are a historical fact — this concerns primarily the continental, Jacobite, and high-degree systems of the 18th century. If English symbolic Freemasonry developed under the influence of the intellectual atmosphere of the Reformation, the scientific revolution, and Renaissance humanism, many continental Masonic systems evolved in a Catholic environment and were closely connected with Jesuit intellectual centres.
One of the earliest known Freemasons — King James VI of Scotland and I of England — was also educated within the Catholic intellectual tradition and maintained close contacts with representatives of the Catholic world throughout his life. Scottish Masonic tradition later associated his initiation with the emergence of the concept of Royal Art and the title Royal Grand Master (R.G.M.), emphasizing the special connection between monarchy and Masonic initiation.
Before Freemasonry was condemned by the papal bull In eminenti (1738), Catholics could join lodges, and many representatives of early European Freemasonry existed freely within the Catholic cultural sphere. After the exile of the Stuarts, the Jesuit colleges of France became one of the centres of Jacobite emigration. In 1754, the famous Chapter of Clermont was established at the Jesuit Collège de Clermont in Paris and played a key role in the formation of the European high degrees. Documents of the lodges of Arras — one of the most important centres of Jacobite Freemasonry — show that Freemasons openly opposed the persecution of the Jesuits and even sent special delegations to Paris in their defence.
At the same time, it would be mistaken to seek the origin of Masonic symbolism exclusively among the Jesuits. Both Freemasonry and the Jesuit intellectual tradition drew on the same European cultural heritage — ancient philosophy, biblical symbolism, Renaissance emblematics, Hermetic thought, and Christian mysticism. For this reason, many symbols of the two traditions are strikingly close. The temple, the opening veil, the inner sanctuary, light, self-knowledge, moral perfection, and the search for the hidden meaning of the world express universal ideas about the spiritual path of the human being, rather than belonging exclusively to any single organization.
The book Lux Evangelica (“The light of the Gospel hidden beneath the veil of sacred emblems”) by the Jesuit Heinrich Engelgrave is one of the most vivid monuments of this intellectual culture. It was created as a manual for preparing Sunday sermons and consists of fifty-two emblems — one for each Sunday of the Church year. Each chapter combines a Gospel reading, a symbolic engraving, quotations from the Bible and classical authors, followed by theological interpretation and moral conclusions. Many of these images appear strikingly “Masonic” today, although they were created almost a century before most known Masonic rituals emerged.

02/07/2026

The object of this week is a French graphic sheet from the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century, representing a system of higher degrees of Freemasonry from the period of the late Enlightenment and the early Empire.

At the top of the sheet appears an explanatory text in French. The document is described as a “portable tuileur” — a kind of concise reference guide or mnemonic chart for Freemasons of different degrees. The text explains that “the philosophical cross and the accompanying figures present, beneath the veil of emblems, a portable tuileur of the symbolic and capitular degrees according to the French and Scottish Rites — from Apprentice to Rose-Croix.” It further explains that colours, letters, and geometric figures allow initiates to recognise the words, batteries, and symbols associated with the various degrees.

Such sheets were produced in France approximately between 1780 and 1810, during the period in which French Freemasonry experienced the flourishing of the systems of hauts grades — the “higher degrees.” Unlike the three basic degrees of Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason, the higher degrees formed complex philosophical, chivalric, and mystical systems combining Masonic symbolism with Christian mysticism, Hermeticism, alchemy, biblical exegesis, and legends surrounding the Temple of Solomon.

The central element of the composition is the so-called “philosophical cross.” Within it appear the seasons, months, cardinal directions, elements, and symbolic correspondances characteristic of the Hermetic tradition of the eighteenth century. Around it are arranged diagrams of various degrees including Maître Écossais, Chevalier d’Orient, Rose-Croix, and others. Many of these were associated with capitular and Rosicrucian Freemasonry.

Unlike the later “administrative” Freemasonry of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this system was oriented toward religious and mystical forms of European Masonic ritual. A significant part of the French higher degrees of the period possessed an explicitly Christian character. The Rose-Croix degree mentioned in the document interpreted Masonic symbolism through the Passion of Christ, the idea of spiritual rebirth, and the mysticism of the New Testament. In many systems, the candidate was regarded as a “knight of the spirit,” undergoing a path of moral purification and inner transformation. According to the history of Freemasonry, this development was connected with the influence of the Catholic Jesuit order and the Jacobite movement, which established several Masonic structures in France during the first half and middle of the eighteenth century.

At the same time, this tradition developed within the complex political atmosphere of the late eighteenth century. The French Revolution destroyed many of the structures of the ancien régime, yet Masonic and para-Masonic systems continued to exist while adapting to the new conditions. Some degrees preserved aristocratic and chivalric characteristics, while others absorbed ideas of the Enlightenment, universalism, and moral philosophy. As a result, French Freemasonry of this period became a distinctive synthesis of Christian mysticism, Enlightenment philosophy, Hermeticism, chivalric symbolism, and early occultism.

Such graphic tables functioned simultaneously as ritual aide-mémoires, instructional tools, and visual maps of the complex systems of higher degrees that existed in France at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Экспонат этой недели — французский графический лист конца XVIII — начала XIX века, представляющий систему высших градусов масонства эпохи позднего Просвещения и ранней Империи.

В верхней части листа помещено пояснение на французском языке. В нём документ называется «переносным tuileur» — своеобразным кратким справочником или мнемонической схемой для масонов различных степеней. Текст сообщает, что «философский крест и сопровождающие его фигуры представляют под покровом эмблем переносной тюйлёр символических и капитулярных степеней согласно Французскому и Шотландскому ритуалам — от Ученика до Rose-Croix». Далее поясняется, что цвета, буквы и геометрические фигуры позволяют посвящённым распознавать слова, батареи и символы различных степеней.

Подобные листы создавались во Франции приблизительно между 1780 и 1810 годами — в период, когда французское масонство переживало настоящий расцвет систем hauts grades, «высших градусов». В отличие от трёх базовых степеней — Ученика, Подмастерья и Мастера — высшие степени образовывали сложные философские, рыцарские и мистические системы, соединявшие масонскую символику с христианским мистицизмом, герметизмом, алхимией, библейской экзегезой и легендами о храме Соломона.

Центральный элемент композиции — так называемый «философский крест». Внутри него расположены времена года, месяцы, стороны света, элементы и символические correspondances, характерные для герметической традиции XVIII века. Вокруг размещены схемы различных степеней: Maître Écossais, Chevalier d’Orient, Rose-Croix и других. Многие из них связаны с капитулярным и розенкрейцерским масонством.

В отличие от позднего «административного» масонства XIX–XX веков, это система ориентирована на формы религиозных и мистических ритуалов европейского масонства. Значительная часть французских высших градусов той эпохи носила откровенно христианский характер. Степень Rose-Croix, упомянутая в документе, интерпретировала масонскую символику через Страсти Христовы, идею духовного возрождения и мистику Нового Завета. Во многих системах кандидат рассматривался как «рыцарь духа», проходящий путь морального очищения и внутренней трансформации. Согласно истории масоснтва это связано с влиянием католического ордена иезуитов и якобитским движением, учредившем во Франции ряд масонских структур в первой половине и середине 18 века.

Кроме того, эта традиция формировалась в сложной политической атмосфере конца XVIII века. Французская революция разрушила многие старые структуры ancien régime, однако масонские и парамасонские системы продолжали существовать, приспосабливаясь к новым условиям. Одни степени сохраняли аристократический и рыцарский характер, другие впитывали идеи Просвещения, универсализма и моральной философии. В результате французское масонство того времени стало своеобразным сплавом христианской мистики, философии Просвещения, герметизма, рыцарской символики и раннего оккультизма.
Такие графические таблицы служили одновременно ритуальным aide-mémoire, учебным пособием и визуальной картой сложной системы высших степеней, существовавшей во Франции на рубеже XVIII–XIX веков.

18/06/2026

This week’s object is a handwritten booklet from the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century containing the ritual of the degree “Sublime Philosophe” — “Sublime Philosopher,” designated as the 36th degree. Written in French, the text represents a typical manuscrit de hauts grades — a manuscript ritual of the so-called “high degrees” of Freemasonry. The cover bearing the inscription “36e Grade de Sublime Philosophe” indicates that it belongs to the system of philosophical and esoteric degrees that spread throughout France during the second half of the eighteenth century.

The content of the ritual differs sharply from the familiar later “administrative” Freemasonry of the nineteenth century. Here, the initiate is directly described as a “Cabalist,” while the goal of the degree is defined as the attainment of “universal science” (science universelle). The ritual includes descriptions of gestures, passwords, touches, and symbolic movements, while the ceremony itself is structured around the idea of inner transformation and gradual ascent toward hidden knowledge. In one of the catechisms, when asked “Who are you?”, the initiate answers: “A Cabalist.”

Such degrees emerged during the late Enlightenment, when European Freemasonry had not yet been strictly unified and instead formed a complex landscape of intersecting traditions. Alongside ordinary lodges appeared numerous systems of “high degrees” (hauts grades), combining Masonic symbolism with alchemy, Christian mysticism, Kabbalah, chivalric legends, and Rosicrucian ideas. In France, this milieu became known collectively as écossisme — “Scottish Masonry.” It was within this environment that degrees such as “Sublime Philosophe,” “Chevalier du Soleil,” “Philosophe Inconnu,” and many others emerged. Their rituals often employed the language of Hermeticism and presented initiation as a path toward recovering a lost “ancient science” or “primordial wisdom.”

During the second half of the eighteenth century, the number of such systems began to grow rapidly. Some rites contained 25 degrees, others 33, 36, 81, 90, or even 95. The same titles could appear in different systems under different numbers. In this period, French Freemasonry resembled a kind of “marketplace of rituals,” where new philosophical, chivalric, and Hermetic degrees were constantly being created. Only in the nineteenth century did gradual standardization begin. After the Napoleonic era, and especially following the spread of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (AASR/REAA), the system of 33 degrees became dominant, while many older Hermetic rituals either disappeared or survived only as marginal esoteric traditions.

For this reason, manuscripts such as this are especially valuable: they preserve a transitional moment when Freemasonry still maintained close ties to Hermeticism, alchemy, and the idea of “universal science.” These texts reveal the intellectual environment of the late eighteenth century from which, simultaneously, the occult orders of the nineteenth century, Rosicrucian revivals, Martinism, and parts of modern European esoteric culture would later emerge.