Dmitri Mendeleev’s speech will auction on January 10

Dmitri Mendeleev is best known as the creator of the Periodic Table of Elements.

On January 10, RR Auction will offer the text for a speech in his own hand on the subject of “The Oscillation of the Balance”.

Mendeleev gave this talk at a meeting of the 10th Congress of Russian Naturalists in Kiev, Ukraine in August 1898.

Mendeleev speech auction

Mendeleev devoted much of his life to the study of weight

Much of his lifetime's work was focused on the principles of weight – including the periodic table, which focuses on the atomic weights of the various elements.  

In 1893, Mendeleev was put to work as director of the Central Board of Weights and Balances.

This was an important role, making him responsible for setting the various trade weights used in Russian industry.

The speech is valued at upwards of $50,000.

As usual at RR, there’s a huge range of interesting pieces on offer.

We were taken with this signed photograph of drummer Art Blakey’s influential combo the Jazz Messengers.

Jazz Messengers

Five of the biggest names in jazz are featured in this lot

Many, many musicians passed through the band over the years.  

The powerhouse line-up of Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan, Art Blakey, Jymie Merritt and Walter Davis Jr (five of the most influential figures in jazz) dates this piece to 1959.

Bidding is already at $2,000, up 900% on the $200 estimate. It’ll be interesting to see where this one finishes.

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