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Hennig Brand, German Alchemist

The Alchemist in Search of the Philosophers Stone (1771) by Joseph Wright. Hennig Brand (1630 -1692/1710) was a German merchant and alchemist. Brand searched for the "philosopher's stone", a substance which supposedly transformed base metals into gold. By the time his first wife died he had exhausted her money on this pursuit. He then married his second wife Margaretha, a wealthy widow whose financial resources allowed him to continue the search. Around 1669 he heated residues from boiled-down urine on his furnace until the retort was red hot, glowing fumes filled it and liquid dripped out, bursting into flames. He captured the liquid in a jar and covered it, where it solidified and continued to give off a pale-green glow. What he collected was phosphorus, which he named from the Greek word for "light-bearing" or "light-bearer." He kept his discovery secret and worked with the phosphorus trying unsuccessfully to produce gold.
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Title:
Hennig Brand, German Alchemist
Caption:
The Alchemist in Search of the Philosophers Stone (1771) by Joseph Wright. Hennig Brand (1630 -1692/1710) was a German merchant and alchemist. Brand searched for the "philosopher's stone", a substance which supposedly transformed base metals into gold. By the time his first wife died he had exhausted her money on this pursuit. He then married his second wife Margaretha, a wealthy widow whose financial resources allowed him to continue the search. Around 1669 he heated residues from boiled-down urine on his furnace until the retort was red hot, glowing fumes filled it and liquid dripped out, bursting into flames. He captured the liquid in a jar and covered it, where it solidified and continued to give off a pale-green glow. What he collected was phosphorus, which he named from the Greek word for "light-bearing" or "light-bearer." He kept his discovery secret and worked with the phosphorus trying unsuccessfully to produce gold.
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Album / Science Source
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Image size:
3245 x 4200 px | 39.0 MB
Print size:
27.5 x 35.6 cm | 10.8 x 14.0 in (300 dpi)
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