[1] The painting very closely matches the description in this 1886 sale, which merged the collections of Freifrau von und zu Brenken (neé Marie von Haxthausen) and Julius Freiherr Bechade de Rochepine. The listing reads, roughly translated: "In a room furnished with instruments of all kinds, on the right in the foreground, the alchemist, in a blue jacket and red cap, is cooking on an open fire, which a young man kindles, lying on the ground is a wild array of books, retorts, bottles, etc. A woman with two children approaches him. In the foreground on the left a group of four children of different ages; A boy sitting on the ground fans the fire in a brazier with bellows. In the background, five people are gathered around a table. Beautiful, rich composition in bright colors. Signed bottom left. Canvas. Height 77, width 88 cent[imeter]." The price and buyer name "Nolte" come from an annotated copy of the auction catalog in the Frick Art Reference Library.