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From alchemy to chemistry
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Alchemy is a branch of knowledge that developed in western civilizations and in eastern ones such as India and China. Western alchemy was born in Alexandria of Egypt in the Hellenistic age as a technique for working and refining metals and imitating precious stones. It later became an elaborate corpus of practical methods and mystical and philosophical concepts.

Alchemy as a science arose and flourished in the Byzantine, Islamic, and Roman civilizations, reaching its apogee in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries with Roger Bacon, Arnold of Villanova, Jean de Roquetaillade (Rupescissa), and the presumably spurious writings of Ramon Lully.

In the Renaissance, alchemy took on a strongly symbolic character. It gradually became a rigid, ritualized body of knowledge, exerting a widespread influence until the early eighteenth century. Thanks to Paracelsus, alchemy shifted its focus toward the preparation of medicines, stimulating a new form of medical chemistry, also known as iatrochemistry. Alchemy continued on its path throughout the modern age, while chemistry progressively broke away to become a separate science.

Objects
Alembic dome

Alembic dome

Inv. 3782
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Alembic domes

Alembic domes

Inv. 3779, 3780, 3781
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Balance

Balance

Inv. 565
Maker unknown, 19th cent.

Balance

Balance

Inv. 567
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Bell-jar

Bell-jar

Inv. 1053
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Bell-jar

Bell-jar

Inv. 3792
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Bell-jars

Bell-jars

Inv. 1047, 1048
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Bottle

Bottle

Inv. 1834 bis
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Bottle

Bottle

Inv. 1712
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Bottle

Bottle

Inv. 1876
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Bottle

Bottle

Inv. 1834
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Bottle

Bottle

Inv. 1875
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Bottle with curved pouring pipe

Bottle with curved pouring pipe

Inv. 3786
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Bottle with serpentine neck

Bottle with serpentine neck

Inv. 1941
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Bottle with side spout

Bottle with side spout

Inv. 1649
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Bottles

Bottles

Inv. 3891, 3893
Maker unknown, 18th-19th cent.

Bottles

Bottles

Inv. 3892, 3894
Maker unknown, 18th-19th cent.

Chemical apparatus

Chemical apparatus

Inv. 1714
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Chemistry cabinet

Chemistry cabinet

Inv. 319, 824, 1605, 1616, 1623, 1632, 1642, 1645, 1686, 1687, 1688, 1689, 1690, 1691, 1692, 1693, 1694, 1695, 1730, 1739, 1758, 1759, 1760, 1813, 1815, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833, 1836, 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1843, 1846, 1848, 1850, 1858, 1859, 1871, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1883, 1890, 1892, 1893, 1900, 1901, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1933, 1934, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1999, 2066, 2080, 2081, 1082, 3537, 3559, 3785, 3788, 3791, 3793, 3917, 3918, 3919, 3920, 3921, 3922, 3923, 3924, 3925
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Furnace

Furnace

Inv. 3916
Maker unknown, second half 18th cent.

Long-necked matrass

Long-necked matrass

Inv. 1920
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Matrass

Matrass

Inv. 1922
Maker unknown, 18th-19th cent.

Matrass with descending still

Matrass with descending still

Inv. 1650
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

"Monesiglio" bottle

"Monesiglio" bottle

Inv. 356
Maker unknown, Italian, 18th cent.

Precision balance

Precision balance

Inv. 997
Maker unknown, 19th cent.

Retort

Retort

Inv. 3787
Maker unknown, 18th cent.

Retort

Retort

Inv. 1756
Josiah Wedgwood, England, second half 18th cent.

Retort

Retort

Inv. 1754
Josiah Wedgwood, England, second half 18th cent.

Retort

Retort

Inv. 3915
Maker unknown, second half 18th cent.

Retort

Retort

Inv. 1755
Josiah Wedgwood, England, second half 18th cent.

Retorts

Retorts

Inv. 1752, 1753
Josiah Wedgwood, second half 18th cent.

Tabula affinitatum

Tabula affinitatum

Inv. 1899
Franz Huber Hoefer [attr.], ca. 1766

Tripod-mounted furnace

Tripod-mounted furnace

Inv. 3914
Maker unknown, second half 18th cent.

Tubes terminating in bubbles

Tubes terminating in bubbles

Inv. 1938, 1940
Maker unknown, 18th cent.