What is in this image? Describe it as if you were explaining it to someone from the 15th century.

This image depicts two craftsmen or tinkers, possibly alchemists, engaged in a curious endeavor. They stand in a meadow, beside a large fallen tree trunk. Both wear hats akin to those a craftsman or a scholar of your time might wear, though their clothes suggest practical work.One of the fellows is holding a peculiar round object attached to a tube; it looks somewhat like a magical orb or a mysterious instrument, the likes of which are yet to be seen in your time. They use this device near the trunk, possibly inquiring into the nature of the wood or invoking some form of understanding that escapes immediate explanation.In the background, there''s a grid that might remind you of the stonework on a castle or a large house, suggesting that this scene takes place near a significant structure, possibly under the patronage of a noble or a learned society interested in their experimental craft. This device may well be a tool of scholars, unseen and unknown at this point in time, meant to probe the mysteries of nature.