Topic description and stories

Detail from the Ripley Scroll housed at the Fitzwilliam Museum

Body, soul and gold: quests for perfection in English alchemy

08 Nov 2012

From the elixirs of legend to transmutation of base metals into gold, medieval medical practice and social mobility were steeped in alchemy.

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Isaac Newton's Index Chemicus

All is not what it seems: the blurred boundaries between alchemy and medicine

21 Sep 2011

An international conference taking place at Cambridge University later this week will reveal that for many centuries alchemy and medicine were deeply...

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Detail from Westminster Retable

Dragonsblood: the alchemy of paint

01 Sep 2009

Through his exploration of the science of art, the recipes of medieval artists and the writings of alchemists, art conservation scientist Spike...

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Spike Bucklow

Organic chemist, puppet maker, art conservator...

01 Feb 2008

From organic chemist, through maker of rubber monsters, to conservator of fine art, Spike Bucklow describes his career path as "something of a...

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