This engraving, by john boydell, reproduces a lively scene of alchemists at work, after the painting "the village alchemist" by jan steen (early 1660s) in the wallace collection in london. Two men crowd around a third, who stirs a substance in an earthenware pot over a small flame. They hold a ragged sheet of paper—perhaps a recipe or instructions—and peer at it closely with puzzled, curious expressions. Their ragged clothes and humble setting suggest their hopes for alchemical success, gold or glory. In the background, behind a wooden tub, a woman raises a cloth to her face in distress as she tends her child. Date: Circa 1719 – 1804. Collection: Science History Institute.
Loading...
