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The Historical Furnace as Assemblage: Space, Circulation, and Early Modern Fire Management
Hannah Elmer1, Thijs Hagendijk2
1Historisches Seminar, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
Ambix
|October 29, 2025
Summary
Rudolph Glauber
Area of Science:
- History of Science and Technology
- Early Modern Chemistry and Engineering
Background:
- Rudolph Glauber introduced a novel furnace design in the late 1640s.
- This furnace achieved high temperatures without bellows, signifying a pyrotechnical innovation.
- It represented a departure from previous early modern furnace designs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze Rudolph Glauber's furnace not as an isolated invention.
- To explore its emergence from historical heat engineering, fuel scarcity, and air circulation concepts.
- To contextualize the furnace within domestic pyrotechnics and the broader early modern 'pyroscape'.
Main Methods:
- Historical analysis of Rudolph Glauber's furnace design and its context.
- Examination of pyrotechnical developments in the domestic sphere.
- Interdisciplinary approach integrating engineering, history, and material culture.
Main Results:
- Glauber's furnace design was influenced by a complex interplay of factors.
- Furnaces are understood as assemblages integrated with architecture and environment.
- This perspective reframes the early modern 'pyroscape' and chemistry's role within it.
Conclusions:
- Rudolph Glauber's furnace was a product of its historical and environmental context.
- Furnace design evolved beyond simple functionality to become integrated systems.
- Reassessing the early modern 'pyroscape' highlights the significance of chymistry in shaping material culture.
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