April 2015 Auction Ends Thursday, April 30th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/30/2015
The 1927 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded to Dr. Heinrich Otto Wieland, considered the father of modern biochemistry. This Nobel is the only Prize in Chemistry to ever be auctioned. Wieland spent his life's work investigating the oxidation processes in living cells, and has been credited with unifying the disciplines of organic chemistry and biochemistry, which had been split since the work of chemist Justus von Liebig in the 1870's. Wieland's research into bile acid was used as the basis for the manufacture of drugs for the treatment of a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases, underpinning his recognition as the founder of modern biochemistry. As a result of his groundbreaking work in the field of chemistry, the Heinrich Wieland Prize was established and endowed in his honor in 1964, awarded to leading scientists for their work in the fields of biochemistry, chemistry and physiology, and counting four Nobel Laureates among its recipients. Wieland was also a strident opponent of the Nazi party; he employed and hid several Jews and supporters of the White Rose Nazi resistance movement in his laboratory at the University of Munich, which was given the nickname ''The Ghetto Room''. Wieland even courageously defended his student Hans Leipelt in court, who was convicted for collecting money for the widow of Kurt Huber, Wieland's colleague who moonlighted as a White Rose resistance leader. Huber and Leipelt were both tried and executed in 1943. This Nobel Prize is made of 23kt gold and features the relief portrait of Alfred Nobel to front, with his name and the years of his birth and death. Verso features a relief of the Goddess Isis, whose veil is held up by a woman who represents the genius of science. Encircling the medal are the words ''Inventas vitam juvat excoluisse per artes'', translating to ''And they who bettered life on earth by their newly found mastery''. Wieland's name and 1928 in Roman numerals are engraved on a plaque below the relief of the two women, with ''Reg. Acad. Scient. Suec.'' also written, an abbreviation for The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Etched upon the medal is the name of Erik Lindberg, who designed the Nobel medal. Medal is housed in a green leather box with a pale blue felt bottom and white satin lining. Box measures 5'' x 5''. Medal measures 66 mm or 2.5'' in diameter, and weighs 206 g or 7.25 oz, consistent with the original Nobel Prizes awarded in 1928. Presented in near fine condition. With an LOA from the consignor, Dr. Heinrich Wieland's grandson.
Nobel Prize Awarded to Chemist Heinrich Wieland, the Founder of Modern Biochemistry -- The Only Nobel Prize in Chemistry Ever to Be Auctioned
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