Author: Aromatico, Andrea

Standing between science and art, philosophy and religion, the secretpractice of alchemy has long been cloaked in a veil of mystery.  To thisday, scholars are unsure of the precise origins of this esoteric craft, theforerunner of modern chemistry, which reached its peak in the Renaissance.

What exactly did the alchemists do?  In a age that did not draw finedistinctions between science and magic, they studied the nature of metals andother materials and sought the elusive formulas that would transform matter;beneath their metallurgical research was a quest for spiritualpurification.  In medieval laboratories and cloistered monasteries, theyrested their formulas and pursued universal truths.  Andrea Aromaticoexplores this fascinating compound of science and myth, examining ancient textsand illuminated manuscripts to shed light on an enigmatic, popular science ofspells, ceremonies, and secret beliefs.