Le bien, la pauvreté, l'âge mûr, la jeunesse. Qui fait ou l'infortune ou la félicité.

2025-07-09T10:53:17-04:00

This etching by Francesco Pedro, for Nicollo Cavalli of Venice, reproduces a painting by Francesco Maggiotto. The scene shows four individuals in a humble workroom, gathered around a brazier full of coals. The central figure, a bearded alchemist in a tall cap and robes, holds a pair of tongs as he pours liquid into a heating crucible. A younger man beside him fans the flames with a pair of bellows, while another young man and woman converse nearby. An alembic and a pair of scales rest on the floor at their feet. The inscription below the print quotes the French poet and philosopher Voltaire: "Le bien, la pauvreté, l'âge mûr, la jeunesse. Qui fait ou l'infortune ou la félicité." (Goodness, poverty, middle age, youth. Who makes of it misfortune or happiness.)