Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
The Dutch Chymist |
Object Name |
Engraving |
Object ID |
FA 2000.001.107 |
Description |
This engraving, by John Boydell, reproduces a lively scene of alchemists at work painted by Jan Steen. 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. After the painting "The Village Alchemist" by Jan Steen (early 1660s) in the Wallace Collection in London. |
Artist |
Boydell, John |
Artist 2 |
Steen, Jan (after) |
Date |
ca. 1700s |
Dimensions |
H-16.25 W-11.875 inches |
Material |
Paper, Ink |
Medium |
Engraving |
Collection |
Fisher Collection |
Search Terms |
Engravings Alchemy in art Portraits Chemistry Dutch Boydell, John, 1720-1804 Steen, Jan, 1626-1679 Eighteenth century |
Provenance |
Fisher Scientific, Pittsburg, PA; Fisher Scientific International Inc., Hampton, NH, until 2000. The Chemical Heritage Foundation, 2000 (from Scientific International Inc.). |