Sharing Secrets: Jews, Christians, and the Practice of Alchemy in the Early Modern Period

Time: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Place: 6th Floor Conference Room, Chemical Heritage Foundation

Information: 215-873-8289 or bbl@chemheritage.org

In the early modern period, the trade in clandestine knowledge and the practice of alchemy, especially at courts, became a complex, albeit sometimes hazardous space of mutual contact between Jews and Christians.

This talk explores the role that Jews played in the early modern marketplace for secrets. A special focus lies on the biography of the Italian-Jewish alchemist, engineer, and entrepreneur Abramo Colorni (1544–1599). His career will serve as a point of departure for reassessing the practice of science among early modern Jews.

Daniel Jütte received a Ph.D. in history from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, where he is currently a research associate. His research focuses on early modern and modern European history, with a special interest in the history of science and Jewish history.