While the younger apprentice continues work, the older attracts his attention to the alchemist by pointing at him. These are apprentices extracting lead (Weeks, 1932). On the left of the picture, you can see two figures near the wall.
There is a large vessel between the oven and the stand. In a half-arch around the alchemist, on the second plan there is a stand covered with green material and littered with books, plans and manuscripts and more flasks, an urn, and a globe. One hand of the alchemist is on his knee, the other is parallel to earth. He stands on one knee, his gaze points up. The grey-haired, bearded man wears a mantle, belted with green scarf. The flask has some liquid at the bottom and it is filled with bright white light. In the right half of the picture, in the foreground there is a glass vessel (round flask) on a tripod connected to an oven made from brick. (you can see more details here, scroll down to the static image) Later, analysis has shown that the substance was a chemical element, phosphorus.
In 1669 German alchemist Henig Brand after collecting and evaporating human urine discovered a waxy substance emitting white light. “Alchemist discovering phosphorus” is the Wright’s depiction of a real event. Alchemy studied ways to obtain a magical substance, Philosopher’s Stone, which was supposed to be a source of eternal youth and, as a side effect, converted common, cheap metals such as lead to gold. Just as astrology – study of cosmic objects alleged influence on human life – was a forerunner of astronomy, alchemy was a predecessor of chemistry.
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Joseph Wright was an English landscape and portrait painter, who was “the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution”.
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The picture, oil on canvas, by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 – 1797), first exhibited in 1771 with the original full title of “The Alchymist, in Search of the Philosopher’s Stone, discovers Phosphorus, and prays for the successful conclusion of his operation, as was the custom of the ancient chymical astrologers” (, 2014).
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