An illustration from an alchemical treatise from 1674. Alchemy was the pseudo-scientific predecessor of chemistry. Among other pursuits, alchemists searched for formulas that would turn base metals into gold. They sought wisdom and the secret to immortali

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An illustration from an alchemical treatise from 1674. Alchemy was the pseudo-scientific predecessor of chemistry. Among other pursuits, alchemists searched for formulas that would turn base metals into gold. They sought wisdom and the secret to immortality. The treatise that this illustration appears in is called De Groene Leeuw of Het Licht der Philosophen.

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Size: 3846px × 2909px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 1600s, 17th, alchemical, alchemy, animal, art, artwork, bird, century, color, drawing, engraving, enhance, enhancement, historic, historical, history, illustration, mystical, mysticism, pseudo, pseudoscience, science, seventeenth, symbol, symbolic