Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
The Alchemist's Studio |
Object Name |
Painting |
Object ID |
FA 2000.003.027 |
Description |
This bustling and prosperous workshop shows a range of alchemical activities, from metallurgical work- such as the heating of a small crucible at lower left- to medical practices, demonstrated by the figure at far right holding up a flask of urine for examination and diagnosis. The elderly alchemist works a pair of hand bellows while his assistants tend to a pair of furnaces. A celestial globe at center is joined by the pairing of an hourglass and skull- "vanitas" or vanity objects which remind the viewer of life's brevity. A small dog and parrot can also be found at right, tended by a young boy. |
Artist |
Thomas, Gerard, Attributed to |
Date |
1600s-1700s |
Dimensions |
H-23.25 W-32 inches |
Material |
Oil Paint, Canvas |
Medium |
Painting |
Collection |
Eddleman Collection |
Search Terms |
Alchemy in art Painting Seventeenth century Eighteenth century Alchemists Laboratories Workshop |
Provenance |
[Philips, London, 4 July, 1989, lot 59]. Spectrum Laboratories, Rancho Dominguez, CA, 1989-2000, acquired by Roy Eddleman. The Chemical Heritage Foundation, 2000 (from Eddleman/Spectrum). |