Arthur Herbert Church

Who is Arthur Herbert Church?

Sir Arthur Herbert Church was a British chemist, expert on pottery, stones and chemistry of paintings, who discovered turacin in 1869 and several minerals, including the only British cerium mineral.

He was born in London, the son of John Thomas Church, a solicitor and educated at King's College London, the Royal College of Chemistry and Lincoln College, Oxford, where he graduated MA.

He was Professor of Chemistry at the Agricultural College, Cirencester from 1863 to 1879 and Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Academy of Arts from 1879 to 1911. He wrote on organic, physiological and mineralogical chemistry. He was invested KCVO in 1909.

He was a talented painter and thus became an expert of chemistry of paintings and frescoes. He was a fellow of the Royal Society,a fellow of King's College London, president of the Mineralogical Society, and a fellow of the Chemical Society. The New York Times called him a "famous chemist" and "a leading authority in the chemistry of painting".

He died at Shelsley, Kew Gardens in 1915. He had married Jemima, the daughter of Mr. J. B. Pope.