Johann Christian Orschall

Johann Christian Orschall († 1687 ) was a German metallurgist , alchemist and mine director in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel and Frankenberg (Eder) .

Live and act

He was a Hessian mountain official who worked as an assistant to Johann Heinrich Rudolph in Dresden before this activity . There he learned the alchemical techniques. So in 1682 he formulated a recipe for making ruby glass ( gold purple ). Almost at the same time Johannes Kunckel had also carried out experiments on this, Orschall published them first.

He later worked as a mine director in northern Hesse. Thanks to his knowledge and craftsmanship, he was able to operate the mine facilities there with high efficiency for three years. Nevertheless, he had to give up this position in 1687 due to possibly scheming accusations on the part of an environment that was cautious about its effectiveness and efficiency .

He not only knew Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz personally, but also exchanged letters with him.

Around 1685 his traces are lost and there is a presumption that he moved to the Kingdom of Poland where he is said to have died.

The French philosopher and encyclopedia Paul Henri Thiry d'Holbach made the translation into French of a work on metallurgy, Ars Fusoria Fundamentalis Et Experimentalis (1689).

Works (selection)

Chemical miracle Drey. Marburg 1684 and 1696
Sol sine veste, or Dreyssig Experimenta to strip the purple of gold: which part introduces the Destructionem auri, with attached instruction, to prepare the long requested Rubin-Fluss or Rothe Glass in the highest perfection. Augsburg 1684
Ars fusoria fundamentalis et experimentalis. Cassel 1689

literature

Hermann Kopp: Alchemy in Older and Modern Times. A contribution to cultural history. 1. Theil Carl Winters University Bookstore, Heidelberg 1886 (PDF; 48.4 MB)
LB Hunt: The True Story of Purple of Cassius. The birth of gold-based glass and enamel colors. Pp. 134-139. doi : 10.1007 / BF03215423

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ according to other information † 1684
^ Karl Christoph Schmieder: History of Alchemy. Verlag der Buchhandlung des Waisenhauses, Halle 1832 p. 454
^ Johann Christian Hasche: Diplomatic history of Dresden from its creation to our days. Volume 4 self-ext. d. Ed., 1819 p. 246
^ LB Hunt: The True Story of Purple of Cassius. The birth of gold-based glass and enamel colors. P. 137. doi : 10.1007 / BF03215423
↑ Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: Complete writings and letters. Akademie Verlag, 1995 p. 319
↑ J.Ch. Orschall: Œuvres métallurgiques. Hardy, Paris 1760 (PDF; 11.4 MB)

personal data
SURNAME	Orschall, Johann Christian
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German metallurgist and alchemist
DATE OF BIRTH	16th century or 17th century
DATE OF DEATH	1684

[1] rding to other information † 1684

[2] Karl Christoph Schmieder: History of Alchemy. Verlag der Buchhandlung des Waisenhauses, Halle 1832 p. 454

[3] Johann Christian Hasche: Diplomatic history of Dresden from its creation to our days. Volume 4 self-ext. d. Ed., 1819 p. 246

[4] LB Hunt: The True Story of Purple of Cassius. The birth of gold-based glass and enamel colors. P. 137. doi : 10.1007 / BF03215423

[5] Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: Complete writings and letters. Akademie Verlag, 1995 p. 319

[6] J.Ch. Orschall: Œuvres métallurgiques. Hardy, Paris 1760 (PDF; 11.4 MB)