Alchemist 1717 - 1783

“The Alchemist,” a 1717-1783 etching by Jacques Philippe Le Bas, depicts a scene of alchemy in a dimly lit room. A bearded alchemist sits on a stool, gesturing towards a glass flask in his right hand, while another man reads a book at a table covered in bottles and alchemical equipment. The image shows the practice of alchemy, a popular pursuit in the 17th and 18th centuries, which aimed to transform base metals into gold.