Fisher Collection

An alchemist wearing a green robe uses a pair of bellows to control the heat of the fire beneath his crucible. Other vessels sit on the furnace at his side, and an animal skull hangs from a peg. A hammer and tongs…

This small painting on metal is a copy of Gerrit Dou's (also known as Gerrit Douw or Dow) [artist unknown] popular dentist scene in Dresden. Through the illusionistic frame of a large window, we see a dentist in a red…

In this small copy in the style of David Teniers II (artist unknown), an elderly, bearded alchemist closely reads an open book with an expression of absorbed contemplation. He is seated at his desk beside a skull and…

A bearded, elderly alchemist in a fur-trimmed coat leans close over a tabletop experiment. The equipment on his lab bench includes an adjustable clamp stand and an alcohol burner, contemporary to the 1800s. Small vials…

In this copy after Gerrit Dou's (also known as Gerrit Douw or Dow) popular "The School Master" composition (artist unknown), the old man at the window niche sharpens his pen while his pupils are busy at work in the…

In this small copy of a larger painting by David Teniers II (artist unknown), a bearded physician examines a flask of urine as his patient, a middle-aged woman, looks on thoughtfully. Before him is an open book, likely…

This mezzotint by William Pether, after the 1771 painting by Joseph Wright of Derby, shows a kneeling alchemist in his laboratory, gazing in wonder at the results of his latest experiment. The painting's full original…

A portrait of Sir Humphry Davy (1778–1829) seated at a desk with a burner lamp on his left and a quill in a holder in the foreground.

A dark study illuminated by single leaded glass window at left; in middle ground a seated man behind cluttered desk faces slightly left; open and closed books, papers, jars and jugs scattered on floor; at right a seated…

A physician wearing the traditional physician's cap conducts a urinoscopy on the flask he holds. A woman is seated beside him, waiting for the results. In the foreground the alchemist's assistant is tending to a furnace…

An iatrochemist performs a uroscopy, examining a small glass flask, while other activities take place in his busy workshop. A woman is waiting for her diagnosis, having brought the flask of urine in the wicker basket…

A bearded alchemist wearing a fur-trimmed top coat and cap is carefully weighing ingredients with a balance. On top of his table is an exotic carpet covered with papers, a copper pitcher, and ceramic jar. Resting on a…

Large workshop with many sculpted busts and figures. At left in front of window, a well-dressed seated man at table with open book. Celestial globe in center, and to right a seated man painting at easel holds pallet and…

This workshop scene highlights the many activities of an apothecary's assistants as they sort and process herbs and plants, distill organic substances for medicine, and prepare doses. Large racks of glass distillation…

A busy chemical workshop with a man in furred collar and physician’s cap, examines a flask, conducting a medical diagnostic or urinoscopy. He consults an open book while at right a woman and a man await results. In…

The walls of this busy and productive apothecary's shop are lined with glass vessels and earthenware jars used for the preparation and storage of drugs, tonics and purgatives. The apothecary sits at his desk, conversing…

A man in red skull cap and coat furred at collar and cuff sits with open book on his lap, body facing left with head turned right, in a green tattered velvet chair. At right, a cloth-covered table topped with a skull.…

The labors of an elderly alchemist are closely watched by a monkey which perches on the window above. The alchemist busies himself investigating samples wrapped in paper or notes in a cluttered workshop. The floor at…

A bald alchemist stands at his furnace on the right, stirring the contents of his crucible while reading a small book. His young apprentice stands by, attentively looking to the alchemist for guidance. Books and other…

This engraving, by the French printmaker Jean Baptiste Fosseyeux, reproduces an original painting by Gerrit Dou. The work, titled "The Dropsical Woman," shows a young but finely-robed doctor examining the urine of a…

This engraving by Thomas Major, after a painting of the same subject by David Teniers II, shows a "country surgeon" at work, treating the foot of a patient. As the surgeon bends down to apply a leech to the man's foot,…

An engraving by F. Basan, after the painting by David Teniers II. The inscription below this work, Le Grimoire d'Hypocrate, refers to Hippocrates, a Greek physician often called the father of medicine in Western…

This lithograph by Carl Straub, after a painting of the same subject by David Teniers II, shows the interior of a chemist's laboratory with a man seated in front of a furnace. He tends a glowing fire with a pair of…

This etching, by the Italian engraver and etcher Giuseppe [Joseph] Longhi, reproduces a work by the Dutch master of chiaroscuro, Rembrandt van Rijn. The original painting traveled to France in the 18th century and…

Engraved by Thomas Major after a painting of the same subject by David Teniers II, this print shows a young alchemist in a cap and apron working a pair of bellows before an open hearth. Distillation vessels, open books,…