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An Alchemist at Work

  • 1700s

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BY 4.0

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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 loose straw is everywhere, hanging in bundles from wooden beams or strewn on the floor. In the left background an assistant works at a bench, while a curl of smoke rises from the untended furnace.

Artist
Provenance

[Galerie Fischer, Lucerne, Switzerland, 4/6 November 1986, lot no. 1457, (as a pair with FA 2000.003.036)].

Alfred Bader, Milwaukee, WI, 4/6 November 1986 -- 5 January 1993 (to Eddleman). [1]

Spectrum Laboratories, Rancho Dominguez, CA, acquired by Roy Eddleman (from Bader), 1993 -- 2000.

The Chemical Heritage Foundation, 2000 (from Eddleman/Spectrum).

[1] This painting appeared with FA 2000.003.036 as illustrations in a 1991 catalogue of Flourinated Products from Aldrich Chemical Company, founded by Alfred Bader.
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Extent
  • 109.2 cm H x 149.9 cm W
Subject
Rights Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
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  • Courtesy of Science History Institute

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Cite as

van Helmont, Mattheus. An Alchemist at Work. Oil paint (paint), canvas (textile material), 1700–1799. Science History Institute. Philadelphia. https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/td96k360d.

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