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+--- Thread: The alchemist Johann Bottger in 19th-century Bengali literature (/showthread.php?tid=930)
The alchemist Johann Bottger in 19th-century Bengali literature - Paul Ferguson - 11-16-2023
An excerpt from ‘Trailokyanath Mukhopadhyay: Tales of Early Magic Realism in Bengali’, translated by Sucheta Dasgupta.
"Bottger was born in Prussia, which is presently part of the German nation, 217 years ago in CE 1682. He apprenticed at a hospital at the age of twelve. As a child, he had a fascination for the study of chemistry. In those days, chemistry and alchemy were one and the same subject. Bottger used all his leisure hours in alchemic research. In plain English, this meant he experimented with the reaction of iron, copper, etc., with various compounds to see if they could be converted to gold. These tests he carried on non-stop for several years on end. Seeing his sharpness and extraordinary knowledge, the owner of the hospital began sponsoring his laboratory work. After some years had passed, Bottger announced that he had discovered the means to prepare gold."
https://scroll.in/article/1058818/magic-realism-the-legend-of-german-alchemist-johann-bottger-in-19th-century-bengali-literature
No paywall as such but a contribution pop-up.
RE: The alchemist Johann Bottger in 19th-century Bengali literature - Paul Ferguson - 11-16-2023
Here's Johann Friedrich Bottger (or Bottcher or Böttcher or Bottiger) in another one of those lovely Liebig trading-cards.