Rhazes in His Laboratory at Baghdad

What it is

This is an oil painting by Ernest Board, held by the Wellcome Collection, imagining al-Razi at work in a laboratory in Baghdad. It shows him beside a steaming pot with an assistant tending a fire, surrounded by flasks, jars and books.

Why it matters

Al-Razi was known for combining medicine and chemistry, and this scene reflects his reputation as both physician and alchemist. The painting was made long after his death and is an imagined reconstruction rather than a historical record, but it shows how later generations pictured his scientific work.

Look closer

• What details in the painting suggest a laboratory or workshop setting?
• Why might the artist have included books and jars around al-Razi?
• How does this imagined scene compare with what we actually know about al-Razi's work?