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 culture. Thus, this scene was likely thought to represent medical alchemy or iatrochemistry. A bearded, elderly alchemist closely examines a page in an open book as he stirs a small dish on a table. Distillation vessels, animal skulls and flasks sit nearby. In the background, several assistants heat a crucible near a smoking furnace.