The arcanum : the extraordinary true story / Janet Gleeson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gleeson, Janet.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Meissen porcelain.

Porcelain, European.

Böttger, Johann Friedrich, 1682-1719.

Böttger, Johann Friedrich.

Höroldt, Johann Gregor, 1696-1775.

Höroldt, Johann Gregor.

Kändler, Johann Joachim, 1706-1775.

Kändler, Johann Joachim.

Physical Description:

xii, 324 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Warner Books, [1998]

Summary:

At the dawn of the Age of Reason, some of the finest minds in eighteenth-century Europe were pursuing the alchemist's dream: to discover the secret formula for transforming base metal into gold. Geniuses and charlatans, noblemen and fools, even monarchs competing for greater wealth found themselves joining the epic quest for...

The Arcanum

The extravagant Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, had an insatiable appetite for amassing objects and artifacts of whose beauty--unlike that of his many mistresses--he would never tire. Like a peacock, he fanned his opulent feathers in a show of political dominance, while his palace grew into a wonderland of sugar plums and jewel-encrusted costumes. There was only one problem: His funds were dwindling.

The immediate answer seemed to lie with a nineteen-year-old alchemist named Johann Frederick Bottger, whose boastful claims of gold-making caught the attention of the greedy king. Imprisoned in a horrible dungeon, Bottger was commanded to find the arcanum...or suffer the deadly consequences. But salvation for the young alchemist would come in an unexpected form. After years of failing to make gold, Bottger would stumble on the formula for another precious commodity--the beautifully translucent ceramic from China called porcelain.

For readers of Longitude and A Mapmaker's Dream comes a true story of passion, greed, and obsession to stir the imagination and, like lead into gold, bring the events of a distant age magically to life.

Contents:

Part 1 The Arcanist 1

Chapter 1 The Fugitive 3

Chapter 2 Transmutation or Illusion 13

Chapter 3 The Royal Captor 29

Chapter 4 The China Mystery 39

Chapter 5 Refuge in Despair 55

Chapter 6 The Threshold of Discovery 71

Chapter 7 The Flames of Chance 89

Chapter 8 White Gold 103

Chapter 9 The Price of Freedom 117

Part 2 The Rivals 135

Chapter 1 Shadows of Death 137

Chapter 2 The Porcelain Palace 157

Chapter 3 Deception 169

Chapter 4 Crossed Swords 179

Chapter 5 Scandal and Rebirth 197

Chapter 6 A Fantasy Universe 207

Part 3 The Porcelain Wars 219

Chapter 1 The Last Journey 221

Chapter 2 The Porcelain Soldiers 237

Chapter 3 Visions of Life 255

Chapter 4 The Final Defeat 267

Chapter 5 The Arcanum 281

Postscript 297

Sources 303.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-315) and index.

ISBN:

0446524999

OCLC:

39515811