Rathgen Research Laboratory

The Rathgen Research Laboratory is a nationwide operating, scientific institute of the National Museums in Berlin / Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. It considers itself to the tradition of the Founded in 1888, the Chemical Laboratory of the Royal Museums committed and continues to be its first director, the chemist Friedrich Rathgen named.

The main tasks of the laboratory are the preservation of cultural and historical objects, checking for authenticity of objects by determining the material, the age and origin as well as to advise the Berlin State Museums in matters relating to restoration and conservation.

With the help of Archaeometry Works of art are examined for their raw ingredients out. Thus, in the supposed works of art in the style of Max Ernst, Fernand Leger, Max Pechstein and Heinrich Campendonck was the so-called collection hunter, and proven by the Rathgen laboratory, that it is clearly forgeries. The investigations showed that the forger had Beltracchi used titanium white, but at the time of the alleged creation of his fake works of art sometimes had not yet even exist. Another proof was achieved by analyzing the wooden frame. They had found that the wooden frame on the screens of the images were drawn from all trees came who had stood side by side tight, which would have been highly unlikely in such different artists but.