Astronomische Tischuhr des Meisters Hieronymus Syx

Johannes Kunckel‘s
Ruby Glass:
The alchemist Johannes Kunckel was commissioned
by Elector Frederick William to produce gold.
The result, however, was ruby-red glass that was
henceforth called Kunckel glass. Johannes Kunckel
von Löwenstern was born in Hütten near Rendsburg
(Schleswig) in 1630 as the son of a chemist. He
was first instructed in the natural sciences by his father.
Frederick William, also known as “the Great Elector”,
hoped that the experienced chemist and alchemist
would give him new impulses for the economic development
of his country, because Kunckel had researched
phosphorus and, with “Ars Vitraria Experimentalis
or Vollkommene Glasmacher-Kunst” (The
Art of Perfect Glassmaking), he had written a standard
book on glassmaking.
After his apprenticeship, Johannes Kunckel was hired
by the Court of Saxony to produce gold for the Elector.
However, the Elector owed him his salary for
months. The reason: if Kunckel could really make
gold, then he would not need any payment, and if he
could not, then he would not be worth any payment
either. In 1678 Johannes Kunckel followed the call of
the Brandenburg Elector Frederick William to Berlin,
where he was hired as a secret chamberlain for an
annual salary of 500 thalers.
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