http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy
a part of the Occult Tradition, is both a philosophy and a practice with an aim of achieving ultimate wisdom as well as immortality, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as possessing unusual properties.
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He won the Louisiana Exposition in 1904. His techniques were old world. He hand painted special colored crystal glass with metal oxides and fired the product to create strong vibrant highly translucent colors with subtle gradations of hues and textures.
As you said Roger
he is OLD WORLD
You get me to talk about a favorite subject
Stain glass
Emil Frei
and his family are renown
and I'm just in my humble way trying to compare the beautiful work
to a alchemists
here is the definition of alchemy
Alchemy was known as the spagyric art after Greek words meaning to separate and to join together. Compare this with the primary dictum of Alchemy in Latin: SOLVE ET COAGULA — Separate, and Join Together (or dissolve and coagulate).
The best-known goals of the alchemists were the transmutation of common metals into gold (called chrysopoeia) or silver (less well known is plant alchemy, or "spagyric"); the creation of a "panacea", or the elixir of life, a remedy that supposedly would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely; and the discovery of a universal solvent.[4] Although these were not the only uses for the discipline, they were the ones most documented and well known. Certain Hermetic schools argue that the transmutation of lead into gold is analogical for the transmutation of the physical body (Saturn or lead) into Solar energy (gold) with the goal of attaining immortality.[5] This is described as Internal Alchemy. Starting with the Middle Ages, Arabic and European alchemists invested much effort in the search for the "philosopher's stone", a legendary substance that was believed to be an essential ingredient for either or both of those goals. The philosopher's stone was believed to mystically amplify the user's knowledge of alchemy so much that anything was attainable. Alchemists enjoyed prestige and support through the centuries, though not for their pursuit of those goals, nor the mystic and philosophical speculation that dominates their literature. Rather it came from their mundane contributions to the "chemical" industries of the day—ore testing and refining, metalworking, production of gunpowder, ink, dyes, paints, cosmetics, leather tanning, ceramics, glass manufacture, preparation of extracts, liquors, and so on (it seems that the preparation of aqua vitae, the "water of life", was a fairly popular "experiment" among European alchemists).
as you can see Roger glass manufacture paints inks ores are part of alchemy
Did you know Roger that to get the beautiful colors of stain glass the artist must mix gold to get the color red
for green the use of copper
and then there is the magical fire of LIGHT that illuminates and the philosopher stone which creates Timeless Beauty
I'm sure you would prefer the title of stain glass window maker
I think Alchemist carries the ancient art of creating beauty out of the earth