Explore the Alchemist’s Laboratory with Institute’s New ‘Fire and Gold’ Exhibition Opening October 7

The Science History Institute presents Fire and Gold: The Art of Alchemy (1450–1850), a new permanent exhibition that takes visitors on a journey through underground mines into the cluttered workshops and fiery laboratories of the alchemist. Explore the museum and library’s extensive collection of alchemical paintings and rare books that will take you back to a time when chemistry was chymistry, when alchemists sought to uncover nature’s “secrets” and unlock the hidden potential of matter, and where early experiments with metals, minerals, and heat gave way to modern chemistry.

“Alchemy and chemistry aren’t separate stories,” says Jesse Smith, vice president of interpretation and education and director of the Institute’s museum. “The questions alchemists asked about matter, transformation, and how the natural world works helped shape the experimental practices that became modern chemistry. ‘Fire and Gold’ lets us show that evolution through the items in our rich collection.”

The public is invited to An Alchemical Affair: A ‘Fire and Gold’ Opening Celebration on Wednesday, October 7 from 5pm to 8pm at 315 Chestnut Street in Old City Philadelphia. Registration is required for this free event, which features a curator’s talk, exhibition tours, alchemy-themed activities, light refreshments, and more. Space is limited.

Beginning on Saturday, October 10, visitors can take a free, self-guided tour of Fire and Gold every other Saturday from 2pm to 3pm and alternately every other Thursday from 1pm to 2pm. Because of space limitation in the Fisher Gallery, an intimate space overlooking the Institute’s Othmer Library, Fire and Gold is best viewed in small groups. Registration is strongly recommended to guarantee your spot.

Fire and Gold: The Art of Alchemy (1450–1850) was curated by Elisabeth Berry Drago, an art historian who spent a decade at the Institute researching, interpreting, and exhibiting its collections. She now lectures in art history at the University of Hong Kong.

“Alchemy is one of the fascinating places where art and science intersect,” says Berry Drago. “These beautiful paintings are full of fire, metals, and the promise of transformation. They show alchemists at work as scholars, healers, and experimenters, but also reveal how artists and the public understood their ambitions. Paired with rare books from the Othmer Library, they bring that world vividly to life.”

Support

Fire and Gold: The Art of Alchemy (1450–1850) has been made possible by the generous support of Barry Arkles and Janine Black.

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Featured image: Detail of The Alchemist’s Studio, oil on canvas attributed to Gerard Thomas, 1600s–1700s.