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Allegory of Distillation

Alchemists sought to discover the way the world is made, a quest that had an enduring impact on art around the globe. The mysterious art of alchemy transformed visual culture from antiquity to the Industrial Age, and its legacy still permeates the world we know today.

Although little is known about the author of this curious pastiche of bizarre imagery and straightforward technical illustrations, he was apparently well connected. 

He dedicates this manuscript to his “longtime dear friend” Gonzalo Pérez, part of a powerful aristocratic family in Spanish-ruled Naples—an indication that interest in alchemy circulated within the highest circles.

The Art of Alchemy is open at the Getty Research Institute through February 12, 2017. It’s one of three alchemy-themed shows on view this year.

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