Furnace for Distilling Aqua Fortis
Masonry furnace with two flanking alembics for distilling 'strong waters' (nitric acid)
The sheet shows an apparatus for distilling aqua fortis (nitric acid), described in the caption as a 'furnace for distilling strong waters.' A tall central chimney or flue rises from a masonry base, flanked on each side by an open chamber that houses a rounded cucurbit topped by a domed still-head (alembic) with a projecting beak-spout. The design lets a single fire serve two distilling vessels at once.
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Twin-alembic distillation furnace
Two masonry firing chambers stand on either side of a tall central chimney, each holding a bulbous cucurbit crowned by a domed still-head whose spout drains the condensed liquid. The paired arrangement heats both distilling vessels from one central flue. The caption identifies it as a furnace for distilling aqua fortis, the 'strong waters' used to work metals.