Alchemy and Arts

After the great success of the printed edition (now SOLD OUT), sillabe is proud to introduce the digital copy of the exhibition catalogue of "THE NEVER SEEN BEFORE" which examines some aspects of the Foundry, starting with the grand dukes' first interest in alchemy. 

Cosimo il Vecchio was the first to show metallurgic, alchemic and arcane interests, while in the 16th century in Palazzo Vecchio a foundry was active, that is a laboratory where medicines were distilled and metallurgic activities were carried out. 

It is well known that alchemy was one of Francesco I de' Medici's greatest interests: his passion for gold-bearing and the amount of time he dedicated to this  are documented thoroughly, as depicted in several paintings in his studies and by the several recounts by prestigeous contemporary visitors.

In Palazzo Vecchio's Foundry and in the small room in San Marco, artisanal workshops, distillers and alchemists working for the court were experimenting not only with healing drugs, but also porcelain, rock crystal, glass, majolica and porphyry recipes.

The exhibition gathers paintings, sculptures, incisions, documents and manuscripts which gravitate towards the first grand dukes' alchemic-pharmaceutical interest, and towards the history of the Foundry between the 16th and the 17th century.