Hocus Pocus, or Searching for the Philosopher's Stone

1800

Thomas Rowlandson

Associated Names
Thomas Rowlandson

Artist, British, 1756 - 1827

Rudolf Ackermann

Publisher, English, active 1794-1832

This is a painting of an alchemist's workshop scene. The image depicts an interior space cluttered with various alchemical apparatuses and items associated with an old-fashioned laboratory. There is a central figure observing a process in progress within a glowing furnace. Another figure is operating a bellows to encourage the fire. Smoke and steam rise around them. Various vessels, including bottles and kettles, are scattered around the room. In the background, figures are engaged in different activities.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching, aquatint, and stipple with hand coloring on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed within platemark): 29.1 × 33.4 cm (11 7/16 × 13 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1945.5.363

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Grego 1880, Vol. II, no. 5

Associated Artworks

See all 237 artworks
The image shows a bustling market scene from a street-level point of view. The horizon line is low and there are pedestrians going about their day. A fountain or statue is on the right side, with detailed architecture, including a church with a steeple on the left. The painting style is detailed with clear textures and architectural elements. The color palette is warm with earthy tones dominating. Market vendors and townsfolk are interacting lively with carts and goods, adding movement. The buildings continue into the distance with less detail.

Place de Meir at Antwerp

Thomas Rowlandson

1797

Caricatures (volume IIA)

Thomas Rowlandson

1756

Pot Fair Cambridge

Thomas Rowlandson

1756

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Beaumont Philosophical Institute, London

Associated Names

Bibliography

1880

  • Grego, Joseph. Rowlandson the caricaturist; a selection from his works with anecdotal descriptions of his famous caricatures. 2 vols. London: Chattoand Windus, 1880. Reprint. New York: Collector's Editions, 1970.

Inscriptions

recto: in plate, below image, at left: Pub March 12 1800 at R Ackermans Repository of the Arts N 101 Strand; in plate, below image, at center: HOCUS POCUS / OR SEARCHING FOR THE PHILSOPHERS STONE.; at lower left, in graphite, in later hand: 18 [underlined]; verso: in graphite, at lower left, in later hand: 247 / 2a; in graphite, at center, in later hand: g18; in graphite, in later hand, at lower right: 15 3/4 13 1/2.

Markings

recto: stamped in black in oval: PHILOSOPHICAL / BEAUMONT / SQUARE / M E [Beaumont Philosophical Institute, not in Lugt]; verso: none

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q65026016

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