Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
An Alchemist Holding Tongs at his Furnace |
Object Name |
Picture, Genre |
Object ID |
2020.003 |
Description |
Engraving of an alchemist holding tongs at his furnace, by engraver Joseph Wagner after an earlier painting by Domenico Maiotto. The beardless alchemist stirs the coals with his tongs; above the fire rests a long-necked glass alembic. Behind him are two younger assistants, one reaching for ingredient jars on a shelf, the other grinding with mortar and pestle. The scene is compressed and closely cropped, rendering a more intimate and immediate look at the experimental process. The styling of the alchemist more closely resembles 16th and 17th-century Italian paintings of philosophers, muses, and allegorical figures (seasons, senses, etc) than more common Northern European depictions of alchemists as artisans or workers. Text provided by Jeffery Mancieve (prints dealer): "Etching Base on a painting by Domenico Maggiotto (1713-1794), an Italian painter and engraver of the late-Baroque period. Joseph Wagner (1706-1780) was a Swiss engraver who studied under Laurent Cars in Paris and later studied and worked in Venice, Rome, Bologna and England, where he resided for a while. He returned to Venice where he opened a school and carried on a considerable business as a print seller. Among his pupils and later employee was Bartolozzi." |
Artist |
Maggiotto, Domenico |
Artist 2 |
Wagner, Joseph |
Date |
1780 |
Dimensions |
H-14.125 W-19 inches |
Material |
Paper, Ink |
Medium |
Engraving |
Search Terms |
Alchemists Alchemy in art Engraving Eighteenth century Genre Picture Maggiotto, Domenico |