Friedrich Rathgen
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Rathgen, was a German
Chemist
and a founder of Conservation science
.
, Schleswig-Holstein
, on 2 June 1862. He began his formal education at the University of Göttingen in 1881 where he studied the natural sciences. After a brief period of study in Berlin
, Rathgen completed his education at the University of Marburg where he received his doctoral degree in organic chemistry in 1886 (Rathgen 1886). The following year Rathgen served as a research assistant to the German chemist, H. H. Landholt, in Berlin where he worked on various aspects of sugar polarization. In 1888 Rathgen was appointed the first Director of the newly formed Chemical Laboratory of the Royal Museums of Berlin where he remained until his retirement in 1927
Friedrich Rathgen is significant in the early development of art conservation, particularly for archaeological conservation. Firstly he was the first chemist to be employed by a museum, the Koniglichen Museen, Berlin (Royal Museums of Berlin), in 1888. This was an event important thatenough for Chris Caple (2000 P.53) to write: "It was, perhaps, only in 1888 that conservation as a profession discipline can truly be seen to have started". This helped in establishing the birth of conservation science.
His second major contribution was to publish a Handbook of Conservation. "In 1898 Rathgen published the first edition of his handbook Die Konservierung von Altertumsfunden (The Conservation of Antiquities) (Rathgen, 1898). This was the first comprehensive treatment of the subject; it drew upon his ten years of experience and practical work in the field". It was translated into English in 1905 (Rathgen 1905). Prior to this there had been several short works, including works by Rathgen, published about conservation, but nothing devoted purely to the subject.
Rathgen's handbook was divided into two parts, a format which was adhered to in all subsequent editions:
Many of the methods employed today for the treatment of archaeological materials may be found here in one form or another although Rathgen is rarely cited as a source of reference.
The Rathgen Research Laboratory is a leading institution for conservation science, art technology and archaeometry, based at the National Museums in Berlin . It carries out investigations on a broad variety of materials within the museum environment and focuses its research on scientific issues concerning the care of monuments and archaeological sites. It carries forward the tradition of the world's oldest scientific museum laboratory, the Chemical Laboratory of the Royal Museums in Berlin, which was founded on April 1, 1888 and bears the name of its first director, Friedrich Rathgen.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and a founder of Conservation science
Conservation science
Conservation science is the interdisciplinary study of cultural heritage conservation through the use of scientific inquiry and analytical equipment...
.
Biography
Friedrich Rathgen was born in EckernfördeEckernförde
Eckernförde is a German city in Schleswig-Holstein, Kreis Rendsburg-Eckernförde at the Baltic Sea near Kiel. The population is about 23,000.All German submarines are stationed in Eckernförde....
, Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, on 2 June 1862. He began his formal education at the University of Göttingen in 1881 where he studied the natural sciences. After a brief period of study in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Rathgen completed his education at the University of Marburg where he received his doctoral degree in organic chemistry in 1886 (Rathgen 1886). The following year Rathgen served as a research assistant to the German chemist, H. H. Landholt, in Berlin where he worked on various aspects of sugar polarization. In 1888 Rathgen was appointed the first Director of the newly formed Chemical Laboratory of the Royal Museums of Berlin where he remained until his retirement in 1927
Friedrich Rathgen is significant in the early development of art conservation, particularly for archaeological conservation. Firstly he was the first chemist to be employed by a museum, the Koniglichen Museen, Berlin (Royal Museums of Berlin), in 1888. This was an event important thatenough for Chris Caple (2000 P.53) to write: "It was, perhaps, only in 1888 that conservation as a profession discipline can truly be seen to have started". This helped in establishing the birth of conservation science.
His second major contribution was to publish a Handbook of Conservation. "In 1898 Rathgen published the first edition of his handbook Die Konservierung von Altertumsfunden (The Conservation of Antiquities) (Rathgen, 1898). This was the first comprehensive treatment of the subject; it drew upon his ten years of experience and practical work in the field". It was translated into English in 1905 (Rathgen 1905). Prior to this there had been several short works, including works by Rathgen, published about conservation, but nothing devoted purely to the subject.
Rathgen's handbook was divided into two parts, a format which was adhered to in all subsequent editions:
- Part I was devoted to the transformations which antiquities undergo before and after excavation.
- Part II discussed the treatment of antiquities, with examples of methods used in various European museums, e.g. at the Royal Museums of Berlin.
Many of the methods employed today for the treatment of archaeological materials may be found here in one form or another although Rathgen is rarely cited as a source of reference.
Legacy
In addition his contribition of founding the field of art conservation, and publishing the first conservation handbook. His name lives on in the Rathgen Research Laboratory.The Rathgen Research Laboratory is a leading institution for conservation science, art technology and archaeometry, based at the National Museums in Berlin . It carries out investigations on a broad variety of materials within the museum environment and focuses its research on scientific issues concerning the care of monuments and archaeological sites. It carries forward the tradition of the world's oldest scientific museum laboratory, the Chemical Laboratory of the Royal Museums in Berlin, which was founded on April 1, 1888 and bears the name of its first director, Friedrich Rathgen.
Publications
Some of Rathgen's Key Publications.- Rathgen, F.Über p- und o-Toluolazo-a- und b-napthol und die isomeren Hydrazinverbindungen. Ph.D. Diss., University of Marburg, Marburg, 1886.
- Rathgen, F.Die Konservierung von Altertumsfunden. Berlin: W. Spemann, 1898.
- Rathgen, F., and Borrman, R.Die Konservierung von Altertumsfunden. Nachtrag. Berlin: Georg Reimer, 1905.
- Rathgen, F., and Borrman, R.The Preservation of Antiquities: A Handbook for Curators. G. Auden and H. Auden, trans. London: Cambridge University Press, 1905.