The Rathgen Research Laboratory (german: Rathgen-Forschungslabor) is a Research Institute of the

Berlin State Museums The Berlin State Museums (german: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin) are a group of institutions in Berlin, Germany, comprising seventeen museums in five clusters, several research institutes, libraries, and supporting facilities. They are overseen ...

under the auspices of the

Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (german: Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz; SPK) is a German federal government body that oversees 27 museums and cultural organizations in and around Berlin, Germany. Its purview includes all of Berlin's ...

. It carries out cross-material conservation science, art technology and archaeometry studies of fine arts and

cultural artifacts A cultural artifact, or cultural artefact (see American and British English spelling differences), is a term used in the social sciences, particularly anthropology, ethnology and sociology for anything created by humans which gives informatio ...

to determine composition, age and authenticity and provide advice on their restoration. It further conducts academic research on scientific issues concerning the care and preservation of monuments and archaeological sites. Founded in 1888 as the ''Chemical Laboratory of the Royal Museums in Berlin'', it is the oldest museum laboratory in world and bears the name of its first Director, Dr. Friedrich Rathgen. The Laboratory also provides services to a number of international bodies, such as the

International Council on Monuments and Sites The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS; french: links=no, Conseil international des monuments et des sites) is a professional association that works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places around the worl ...

(ICOMOS), the

International Council of Museums The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to museums, maintaining formal relations with UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Founded in 1946, I ...

(ICOM) and the

International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide through training, information, research, co ...

(ICCROM).

Facilities

The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art analytical equipment, methods and procedures, including: * Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy ( ESEM) *

Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS, EDX, EDXS or XEDS), sometimes called energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA or EDAX) or energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXMA), is an analytical technique used for the elemental analysis or chemi ...

(EDS) *

X-ray fluorescence X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is the emission of characteristic "secondary" (or fluorescent) X-rays from a material that has been excited by being bombarded with high-energy X-rays or gamma rays. The phenomenon is widely used for elemental analysis ...

and Micro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF and XRF) * X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) *

Infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

(FT-IR) and

UV spectroscopy Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation i ...

(UV-Vis) *

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is an analytical method that combines the features of gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify different substances within a test sample. Applications of GC-MS include drug detection, ...

(GC-MS) *

High performance liquid chromatography High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), formerly referred to as high-pressure liquid chromatography, is a technique in analytical chemistry used to separate, identify, and quantify each component in a mixture. It relies on pumps to pa ...

(HPLC) *

Atomic absorption spectroscopy Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) is a spectroanalytical procedure for the quantitative determination of chemical elemlight) by free atoms in the gaseous state. Atomic absorption spectroscopy is based o ...

(AAS) Other methods for the investigation of materials include a

weathering Weathering is the deterioration of rocks, soils and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with water, atmospheric gases, and biological organisms. Weathering occurs ''in situ'' (on site, with little or no movement) ...

chamber to simulate environmental conditions and mobile measuring systems for monitoring the physical and chemical environment for art works

in situ ''In situ'' (; often not italicized in English) is a Latin phrase that translates literally to "on site" or "in position." It can mean "locally", "on site", "on the premises", or "in place" to describe where an event takes place and is used in ...

Achievements

The Rathgen has exposed several scandalous forgeries, including paintings in the Beltracchi affair. Analysis of annular rings in the original frames demonstrated that the wood was indeed old but came from trees that had once stood tightly side by side, unlikely for diverse works such as Fernand Léger and

Max Ernst Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealis ...

.Der Tagesspiegel, 25 January 2012, S. 16; "Verräterische Jahresringe" ''Revealing Growth Rings'', retrieved 02-01-2012.

References

External links

Rathgen Laboratory
in English

in German {{Authority control Research institutes in Germany Museum organizations Conservation and restoration organizations Berlin State Museums

Facilities

Achievements

See also

References

External links