The article discusses a new permanent exhibit titled “Fire and Gold: The Art of Alchemy (1450-1850)” at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia. It highlights the contributions of alchemists, who were early modern scientists engaged in experimentation and trial and error, laying the groundwork for modern chemistry.
The centerpiece of the discussion is a painting called “The Alchemist” by Cornelis Pietersz Bega, which depicts a disheveled man in a dim workshop, contemplating a handful of red powder—likely vermilion, a pigment created through alchemical processes. Curator Elisabeth Berry Drago explains that vermilion, derived from cinnabar, comes from a complex chemical reaction involving mercury and sulfide.
Drago emphasizes that alchemy went beyond the quest for turning base metals into gold; it was about understanding the nature of matter through hypothesis and experimentation. The exhibit aims to reshape this perception and demonstrate the significant achievements of alchemists.
