Book review by Donna Bilak on both Sven Dupré’s (ed.) ‘Laboratories of Art’ and ‘Alchemy: The Mystery of Transformation’, published in Sept issue Isis Journal

Donna Bilak has reviewed both Sven Dupré (ed.), Laboratories of Art: Alchemy and Art Technology from Antiquity to the Eighteenth Century and Sven Dupré, Dedo von Kerssenbrock-Krosigk, and Beat Wismer (eds.), Art and Alchemy: The Mystery of Transformation: review published in the Sept. 2016 issue of Isis.

“The exhibition ‘Art and Alchemy: The Mystery of Transformation,’ held in 2014 in Düsseldorf, has occasioned two valuable scholarly contributions to the history of early modern science: an eponymous exhibition catalogue and a volume of essays. Just as the introduction to the former asserts that “art and alchemy are deeply related to each other”, so are these two works. Together, they present a heterogeneous collection of essays that explore links between alchemy and the material arts, reflecting a synthesis of ideas and projects involving the editors of both publications. […] They stand as excellent research and teaching resources that connect to a wide and diverse audience.” See also the Facebook page of the Isis journal