Mendeleev Etching
Etching depicting Mendeleev, 1900, Russia, glass, wood, ink on paper, UCL Science and Engineering Collections , Chemistry Store, Acc. number CHEM28
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This etching was presented to William Ramsay by the Russian Academy of Science, on the specific request of Mendeleev, who was the inventor of the periodic table of elements (1869). This etching is one of twenty copies sent to the scientific community and a tribute both to Ramsay as one of the top twenty scientists and to Mendeleev who was honoured by the Russian Academy of Science. The technique of etching is very similar to that of engraving, used on the Sudarium of St Veronica, which represents the Christ (1649) and it illustrates the fact that through time, on the same artistic media, the representation of non-religious theme became more common in art, although portraits, including depictions of scientists, was already a prominent genre in the 17th century. Through time, the importance of religious paintings slowly declines and by contrast scientists were portrayed more often. This can be explained by a gradual recognition of scientific discoveries as a valuable source of knowledge.
The sitter himself is also an interesting example of the unachieved separation of science and religion. Mendeleev like many 19th century scientists, he was not antireligious. He was raised in a very devout family but he distanced himself from his parents’ religious beliefs in his later life, like Darwin who gradually lost his faith. Nevertheless, Mendeleev insisted to marry his daughter in great religious pomp and recommended prayer in some letters to her. For Mendeleev, religion can reveal objective truth as well as science. Yet, he shifted away from religion and used the Russian equivalent for the word “divine” to describe scientific discoveries only. This is a clear example of the central part of faith in the new development of science at that time: according to him scientific truths are independent of human deeds and universal. However, this was a very sceptic philosophy: according to Mendeleev, scientific facts should always be checked and the truth verified.