The Alchemist in his Study

The alchemist wears a dark cap, a fur-trimmed robe over a blue garment, and light-colored shoes, sitting in a wooden armchair at a table covered by a green cloth. On the table, he examines a round-bottomed flask; a large globe, an open book, and an hourglass are also present. The elderly woman, wearing a white headscarf and a dark skirt with a white apron, leans heavily on a staff and carries a small basket. Through the open door to the right, a bright sky illuminates a distant cityscape featuring a tall spire. A sphere hangs from the ceiling, and ceramic jugs sit on the floor in the foreground.

This painting belongs to the Northern European tradition of alchemical genre painting, where the pursuit of the 'Great Work' is frequently depicted as a domestic folly or a obsessive, isolating labor, often mocking the alchemist's poverty or gullibility.