An alchemist in a heavy, fur-trimmed robe and a sober scholar's cap peers closely at a glass flask in the light of an open window. Through his spectacles he examines the liquid contents. On the table at his elbow, a…

This profile portrait claims to provide a likeness of Paracelsus, the famed Swiss-German physician, botanist, and alchemist. A champion of chemical medicines, Paracelsus criticized established medical institutions for…

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 portrait of the famed alchemist John Dee (1527-1609) shows a bearded, elderly man attired in the fashion of the Elizabethan court, complete with a sober scholar's cap and a starched collar ruff. It closely…

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 John Boydell, reproduces a lively scene of alchemists at work, after the painting "The Village Alchemist" by Jan Steen (early 1660s) in the Wallace Collection in London. Two men crowd around a third,…

The scene, from an episode in Samuel Butler's mock-heroic epic, "Hudibras," shows the title character as he confronts the astrologer Sidrophel in a clandestine laboratory. Angry at the truths of his past which the…

The Magus, or Celestial Intelligencer, first published in 1801, is a handbook of occult or ceremonial magic written by Francis Barrett. The book covers subjects such as natural magic, alchemy, talismanic magic,…

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…

This painting depicts a bustling and prosperous workshop showing a range of alchemical activities, from metallurgical work--such as the heating of a small crucible at lower left--to medical practices, demonstrated by…

This lively and richly decorated chamber presents an alchemist's workshop which is busy, productive, and filled with customers and assistants. At center, the alchemist himself--dressed in a fine satin coat with slash…

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…

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…

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…

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…

In the apothecary's workshop a man pours liquid from a jar into blue earthenware vessels. He is surrounded by copper bowls, jars, and sacks of endive and other herbs and vegetables likely used for medical preparations…

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…

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…

A bearded, seated alchemist, wearing glasses and bright red shirt, bends over an open book on a desk stacked high with a mess of papers and glassware. The trail of books continues to the ground with broken and unbroken…

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…

A bearded alchemist sits in the midst of a bustling workshop, tending a small brazier of coals with a hand-bellows. Objects for metalworking- including an anvil, crucible, furnace and hammer- are joined by vessels for…

Seated in a disorderly and rustic workshop, an alchemist examines a flask while scratching his head, deep in thought. Scattered about the floor are books, vessels, and a dog which has curled up in a pile of straw. More…

In the center of a large room, a surgeon in a red cap and apron kneels to apply a leech to the foot of his bearded patient. Scenes of bloodletting and leechcraft are common in such images of doctors' surgeries. The…

This print reproduces a scene originally painted by David Teniers, in a strongly tenebrist manner, showing the alchemist in a shadowed room beneath the light of a single window. Engaged in reading, the alchemist may be…

Seated at a table, a well-dressed medical alchemist examines a flask he holds aloft. Opposite, a young man and woman anxiously await his diagnosis. Urinoscopy, or the visual examination of urine for diagnosis, was a…