List of artworks in the collection of the Royal Society of Chemistry
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) owns a number of significant artworks in its venue at Burlington House in London. The collection is composed of busts, paintings and other artefacts that were mainly acquired between the mid-19th and early 21st Centuries (the Chemical Society was founded in 1841 and merged with others to become the RSC in 1980). Most of the acquisitions were donations from past members and staff, although a few were purchased directly by the Society. Humphry Davy bust. The bronze bust of Sir Humphry Davy  was created by Ruby Levick and is a reproduction of an earlier sculpture by Miss Moore, donated to the Chemical Society by Rudolph Messell in 1900. At the Annual General Meeting of the Chemical Society of 29 March, Sir Thomas Edward Thorpe (President of the Society), reported on the gift of this work: Sir Humphry Davy is best remembered today for his discoveries of several alkali and alkaline earth metals, as well as contributions to the discoveries of the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine. Ruby Levick was a Welsh sculptor and medallist who had many of her works exhibited  at the Royal Academy. John Dalton bust. The bronze bust of John Dalton was also created by Ruby Levick and was donated to the Chemical Society in 1903 by its former President Sir Thomas Edward Thorpe, as also attested by the inscription engraved on the bust's base: "John Dalton presented by T.E. Thorpe CB. L.L.D. F.R.S. past President in commemoration of the centenary of the enunciation of the atomic theory". A copy of his accompanying letter was printed in the "Proceedings of the Chemical Society" in 1903 and read out by President William A. Tilden: John Dalton was an  English chemist best known for his development of atomic theory. Michael Faraday bust. A bronze bust representing Michael Faraday, English scientist whose studies greatly contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. The bust was presented to the Chemical Society by James Emerson Reynolds (1844–1920), president of the Chemical Society from 1901 to 1903: William Henry Perkin bust. The marble bust representing Sir William Henry Perkin was presented to the Chemical Society in 1907 by a committee administering the fund subscribed in support of the international celebration for the fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of the Coal Tar Colour Industry . At the Annual General Meeting of the Society, President Raphael Meldola reported on this gift: Perkin's fame is mainly related to his discovery of mauveine. The artist, Frederick William Pomeroy, was a British sculptor mainly prolific in ideal work and portrait busts, but also creator of public monuments. Henry Roscoe bust. The marble bust representing Sir Henry Enfield Roscoe by Alfred Drury was donated to the Chemical Society Library on 20 November 1913, on the occasion of Roscoe's eightieth birthday by his friends and pupils, as also attested by the inscription on its base: . In 1914 Professor William  Perkin Jr., president of the society, reported on the gift of this artefact: President of the Chemical Society between 1880 and 1882, Roscoe was student as well as friend of the German chemist Robert Bunsen: in their researches laid the foundation of comparative photochemistry. English architectural sculptor, Drury was elected Academician of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1913. He studied at the Oxford National Art Training School and in Paris. Justus von Liebig bust. The bronze bust representing Baron Justus von Liebig was presented to the Chemical Society by Rudolph Messel in 1903: as also confirmed by the inscription  on the column supporting the bust: Another inscription, placed between the back and the right side of the bust itself, provides information about its origin: The artefact was created in Munich in 1873 by Michael Wagmüller, a German sculptor who completed a number of commissions in London and exhibited at the Royal Academy. Von Liebig is considered to have greatly contributed to the fields of agricultural and biological chemistry. He developed a manufacturing process for beef extracts and founded a company which later became Oxo. He is also credited as the inventor of Marmite. Augustus Wilhelm von Hofmann bust. The  marble bust representing the German chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann was introduced to the Chemical Society in 1876 by Mr James Duncan: The inscription at the back certifies that this artwork was created by the German sculptor Johannes Pfuhl in Berlin in 1875. Justus von Liebig's pupil and William Perkin's mentor, von Hofmann widely contributed to the development of the organic chemistry. He was a cofounder of the German Chemical Society and president of the Chemical Society between 1861 and 1863. Jean Baptiste André Dumas bust. A bronze bust of Jean Baptiste André Dumas, the French chemist best  known for his works on organic analysis and synthesis, as well as the determination of atomic weights and molecular weights by measuring vapour densities. The sculpture was presented to the Chemical Society in 1885 by Warren De la Rue: An inscription on the right side of the bust provides us further information: The work was created in 1883 by Jean-Baptiste Claude Eugène Guillaume, a French sculptor elected honorary member of the Royal Academy in 1869. Robert Boyle bust. A bust of Robert Boyle, often regarded today as the first modern chemist. Acquired by the Royal Society of Chemistry in  2003 from the Chelminski Gallery, this veined white marble bust was originally commissioned in 1731 from the Italian sculptor Giovanni Battista Guelfi (1690–1736) by Lord Burlington, a relative of Boyle's, for Burlington House, which was then the earl's residence in London. This work, originally displayed at Lord Burlington's Palladian villa, Chiswick House, is virtually identical to that commissioned by Queen Caroline for her grotto at Richmond in 1732–3. The latter survives in the Royal Collection at Kensington Palace and has long been well-known. However, this other version of Guelfi's bust had hitherto been entirely unknown  to Boyle scholars. Guelfi was an Italian sculptor who trained with Camillo Rusconi in Rome and was invited by Lord Burlington, in 1714, to move to England, where he restored the Arundel marbles and executed several portrait busts and monuments. Joseph Priestley airpump. This artefact was created in the 18th Century. Made of gunmetal raised on a cross-banded walnut and oak base (32 cm × 44 cm. × 25.5 cm), it bears a presentation plaque with the following inscription: Samuel Harrison (1759–1833) was a split ring maker with a workshop in Lancaster Street, Birmingham. He was a member of  Priestley's congregation at the New Meeting and is known to have assisted Priestley with his experiments. Joseph Priestley statuette. Raised on an oak plinth is a plaster, full-length figure of Joseph Priestley holding in his hands mortar and pestle, signed and inscribed "Esher" and dated 1874. Another inscription confirms that the statue was presented in 1920 by Mrs Bedford McNeill, as stated in the "Journal and Proceedings of the Institute of Chemists of Great Britain and Ireland" of that year: The full size version of this sculpture by Francis John Williamson is located in Birmingham. It was originally  made in marble, then re-cast in bronze and it portrays Dr Priestley absorbed in an experiment which led to his discovery of oxygen. Section::::"Hope: The Chemist". This painting (oil on canvas, 127 cm × 158 cm), was bought from the Albemarle Gallery by the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2008. It is part of Stuart Luke Gatherer's "Sins and Virtues" collection, which illustrates the seven sins and seven virtues using modern-day professions. It is based on an earlier classic, "An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump" (1768) by Joseph Wright, which was in turn inspired  by Robert Boyle's experiment on the properties of air in the mid-17th Century: a bird is deprived of air before a diversified audience and the different reactions of the spectators prove that scientific curiosity overcomes the concern for the living creature. Stuart Luke Gatherer was brought up in the Eastern Highlands of Scotland, he graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1995 and exhibited across Scotland, in New York and in London. Section::::"Schrödinger's Cat (Requiescat)". A painting (oil on canvas, 20 cm × 24 cm) by Christine Payne represents the well-known thought experiment Schrödinger's cat. An  introductory note provides further information: The original series consisted of nine paintings and two of them were shown in the exhibition 'Seeing Red' at the Science Museum from November 2001 to October 2002. The venue also purchased one of the paintings for their collection. Joseph Priestley plaque. A large (21.5 cm × 18.5 cm) Wedgwood Jasperware oval portrait plaque of Dr Joseph Priestley, attributed to William Hackwood (circa 1779). The ebonized frame is inscribed English theologian, philosopher and chemist, Joseph Priestley is credited with the discovery of oxygen. William Hackwood worked as prolific modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's factory between  1769 and 1832. Robert Boyle plaque. A Wedgwood Jasperware oval portrait plaque (23 cm × 19 cm). Representing Robert Boyle, the artefacts bears, on its gilt-beaded ebonised frame, the following inscription: Robert Boyle's "The Sceptical Chymist" is considered a foundation in the chemistry field. He is best known for the Boyle's law, which describes the inversely proportional relationship between the absolute pressure and volume of a gas, if the temperature is kept constant within a closed system. Wedgwood is a fine china, porcelain and luxury accessories company founded in 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood. Benjamin Collins Brodie portrait . A head and shoulder portrait (oil on canvas, 61 cm × 49 cm) of Benjamin Collins Brodie, president of the Chemical Society between 1859 and 1861, chiefly known for his investigations on the allotropic states of carbon and for his discovery of graphitic acid. The plate on the frame is so inscribed: The painting is initialled and dated: . Justus von Liebig portrait. A three-quarter length portrait (oil on canvas, 108 cm × 85 cm) of Baron Justus Von Liebig seated, which is signed and dated 1860. Created by the German artist Wilhelm Trautschold, this artefact was, as its plate  reads: Margaret Trautschold Hayford says Trautschold painted four portraits of Liebig, who was a close friend and a colleague of his father in law: this one is listed in the checklist of Trautschold's work as no. 34, oil 40" x 30", signed and dated 1860 (and as being in the Chemical Society of London). He was mainly active between 1849 and 1873 in Edinburgh, Liverpool and London. Thomas Graham portrait. The portrait of Thomas Graham was specially commissioned by the Chemical Society in 1931. Incoming President Professor George Henderson acknowledged this at the Annual General Meeting that year: The  artist, Herbert Ashwin Budd, was born in 1881 in Staffordshire and died in 1950. He designed posters for London Transport in 1930s. London based artist and teacher, he painted portraits, landscapes and townscapes in oils. In 1907 he became an associate of the Royal College of Art and began to exhibit widely in the UK, at the New English Art Club and regularly at the Royal Academy. In 1921 he became a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and in 1927 was awarded an Honourable Mention at the Paris Salon. From 1929 to 1949 he taught at St  Martin's School of Art. Thomas Graham was the first president of the Chemical Society, in 1841. His main contributions to science were the studies on the diffusion of gases, resulted in "Graham's Law" and the discovery of the medical method known as dialysis. Robert Boyle portrait. A half-length portrait of Robert Boyle (oil on canvas 92 cm × 78.5 cm). The "Journal and Proceedings of the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland" said about the work: The frame bears a plate with the inscription: and the painting itself is inscribed: Thomas Thomson portrait. A three -quarter length portrait of Thomas Thomson seated at his desk (oil on board, 47 cm × 36 cm, carved giltwood frame). Attributed to the Scottish artist John Graham Gilbert, it was presented by Dr John Naish Goldsmith, as reported by the inscription on the frame: Painter and art collector, John Graham-Gilbert exhibited most of his works between the Royal Academy in London and the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh. Thomson was a Scottish chemist and mineralogist who invented a saccharometer for assessing sugar content of the fermenting must. He accorded an effective support to Dalton's atomic theory. James  Dewar portrait. A three-quarter length profile portrait of Sir James Dewar (oil on canvas, 126 cm × 101 cm). The plate on the frame is so inscribed: The painting is signed and dated 1923: the creator was the French artist René le Brun, Comte de L'Hôpital, who studied at the Royal Academy in London. Scottish chemist and physicist, James Dewar is probably best known as the inventor of the Dewar flask. Cyril Norman Hinshelwood portrait. This painting (oil on canvas, 133 cm × 103 cm) depicts Sir Cyril Norman Hinshelwood seated at his desk, three-quarter length, dressed in  red academic robes. The plate's frame states: Hinshelwood was an English physical chemist who gained many awards and honorary degrees. He was President of several English societies, such as the Chemical Society, the Faraday Society and the Royal Society. The portrait is attributed to Gerald Festus Kelly, an artist born in London and educated at Cambridge University. During his life, Kelly visited many countries and exhibited more than 300 of his works at the Royal Academy, of which he was also President between 1949 and 1954. Raphael Meldola portrait. The "Proceedings of the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain  and Ireland" said of this painting: Member of the Royal Academy, Solomon Joseph Solomon was a British artist who produced works of different style and different subjects, being very productive as innovative portraitist. Raphael Meldola, British chemist and entomologist, was president of the Chemical Society between 1905 and 1907. Section::::"Michael Faraday's Royal Institution Christmas Lecture before the Prince Consort". This painting shows Michael Faraday giving one of a course of six Christmas Lectures at the Royal Institution. Focused on the distinctive properties of common metals, these lectures were delivered between 27 December 1855 and 8 January 1856. Prince Albert , the Prince Consort (Queen Victoria's husband), and the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) are in the front row. The painting was purchased by the Faraday Society from the private museum of the Nowel ffarington family of Worden Hall in 1949. The plate on the frame gives the artist's name, Alexander Blaikley (1816–1903). Born in Glasgow, Blaikley studied at the Trustees' Academy and at the Royal Academy, where he then exhibited most of his works.