Holding a letter in his right hand, the alchemist glances to one side as if caught in contemplative thought. A large glass distillation apparatus—alembic, receiver, and cucurbit—is before him, shining with reflected light from the open window above. On his desk sits a globe, a red-lidded apothecary's jar, a large-format text, and an open letter with broken wax seals in red. The man's scholarly robes and the birdcage above signal his prosperity and status. Painted on oak panel.