Isaac of Holland
Very little is known about the life of this alchemist, but he is commonly supposed to have lived and worked early in the fifteenth century, the principal reason for assigning his career to that period being that in his writings he refers to Geber, Dastin, Morien and Arnold de Villanova, but not to more modern authorities; while again, he appears to have been acquainted with various chymical processes discovered towards the close of the Italy fourteenth century, and hence it may reasonably be deduced that he did not live anterior to that time. According to tradition Isaac worked along with his son, whose name is not recorded, and the pair are usually regarded as having been the first men to exploit chymistry in the Netherlands. They are said to have been particularly skilful in the manufacture of enamels and artificial gems, and it is noteworthy that no less distinguished an alchemist than Paracelsus attached value to the Dutchmen's researches while these are also mentioned with honour by the seventeenth century English scientist, Robert Boyle.
Isaac compiled two scientific treatises, the one entitled De Tripici Ordine Elixiris et Lapidis Theoria, and the other Opera Mineralia Joannis Isaaci Hollandi, sive de Lapide Philosophico, and both were published at the beginning of the seventeenth century The more important of the two is the last-named, wherein the author sets forth his ideas on the exalting of base metals into Sol and Luna, and shows by the aid of illustrations exactly what kind of vessels should be used for this purpose.