"Laboratories of art and alchemy were placed side by side by the Grand Dukes Francesco I and Ferdinando I de’ Medici (1587–1609) to facilitate collaboration between artists and scientists. Goldsmiths, jewellers, cabinetmakers, sculptors, painters, and cutters of semi-precious stones exchanged not only equipment, but also theoretical and technical knowledge with the alchemists who worked in the Uffizi."
