Michał Sędziwój

Michał Sędziwój (Michael Sendivogius)
"Portrait of an Alchemist" dated 17th century, artist unknown
Born	2 February 1566(1566-02-02) Łukowica, Kingdom of Poland
Died	c. May-August 1636 (70) Kravaře, Holy Roman Empire
Noted work(s)	Novum Lumen Chymicum (1604)
Influences Alexander Sethon

Michał Sędziwój (February 2, 1566 - c. May—August 1636), known in English as Michael Sendivogius and Latin as Sendivogius Polonus, was a Polish alchemist and physician, noted as the discoverer of the central nitre, which was re-discovered later and termed oxygen by Lavoisier.

Selected Bibliography

• Novum Lumen Chymicum, a.k.a. De Lapide Philosophorum Tractatus duodecim e naturae fonte et manuali experientia depromti (1604)
  • The New Chemical Light, drawn from the fountain of Nature and of Manual Experience
• Dialogus Mercuriii, Alchemistae et Naturae (Cologne, 1607)
• Tractatus de sulphure altero naturae principio (Cologne, 1616)

Reading

• Waite, A. E. (1888), "Michael Sendivogious", Lives of Alchemystical Philosophers, London: G. Redway, p. 174-181, https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001486595 

In art

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  A demonstration by Sędziwój at the court of Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland (Matejko, 1867, oil on canvas)

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  Michael Sendivogius alias Woysky (Unknown, undated, engraving)