Complementary Standoff Chemical Imaging to Map and Identify Artist Materials in an Early Italian Renaissance Panel Painting

Dooley, Kathryn A.; Conover, Damon M.; Glinsman, Lisha; Delaney, John K.

doi:10.1002/ange.201407893

Cited by 28 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…However, the complementary nature of SR-XRF mapping and RIS techniques, which has been previously evaluated [41], proved beneficial to this study in the end. The combination of elemental mapping from SR-XRF and molecular mapping from RIS facilitated the identification of pigments and an understanding of Picasso's process in this complex work.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflectance imaging spectroscopy and synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence mapping used in a technical study of The Blue Room by Pablo Picasso

et al. 2017

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The existence of a portrait hidden beneath The Blue Room (1901) by Pablo Picasso prompted a comprehensive technical study of this early Blue period painting. Microanalysis of paint samples was combined with reflectance imaging spectroscopy (RIS) and synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF) mapping to characterize the materials and structure of the paint layers and to understand the artist's palette and use of color in both paintings. Microanalysis of paint samples provided detailed information about pigment mixtures and paint stratigraphy while the complementary data sets provided by RIS and SR-XRF yielded important information about pigment distribution in both pictures and clarified details of the underlying painting. Overall, the comprehensive study increased understanding of both pictures and added to the growing body of knowledge about Picasso's early experimentation and evolving technique.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflectance imaging spectroscopy and synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence mapping used in a technical study of The Blue Room by Pablo Picasso

et al. 2017

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“…While broadband infrared reflectance imaging (i.e. infrared reflectography) has been widely used for decades to detect the presence of underdrawings or to better understand pentimenti, diffuse reflectance imaging spectroscopy (RIS) and XRF imaging spectroscopy (MA-XRF) have more recently been used to chemically identify and map artists' materials [12][13][14][15][16][17][18] and to visualize earlier painted compositions hidden below the surface [19][20][21][22][23]. Findings of this type may result in re-thinking the art historical understanding of the development of a work of art.…”

Section: Macroscale Chemical Imaging In Interdisciplinary Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Separating two painting campaigns in Saul and David, attributed to Rembrandt, using macroscale reflectance and XRF imaging spectroscopies and microscale paint analysis

et al. 2018

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Late paintings of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) offer intriguing problems for both art historians and conservation scientists. In the research presented here, the key question addressed is whether observed stylistic differences in paint handling can be correlated with material differences. In Saul and David, in the collection of the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in The Hague, NL, the stylistic differences between the loose brushwork of Saul's cloak and the more detailed depiction of his turban and the figure of David have been associated with at least two painting stages since the late 1960s, but the attribution of each stage has been debated in the art historical literature. Stylistic evaluation of the paint handling in the two stages, based on magnified surface examination, is further described here. One of the research goals was to determine whether the stylistic differences could be further differentiated with macroscale and microscale methods of material analysis. To address this, selected areas of the painting having pronounced stylistic differences were investigated with two macroscopic chemical imaging methods, X-ray fluorescence and reflectance imaging spectroscopies. The pigments used were identified and their spatial distribution was mapped. The mapping results show that the passages rendered in more detail and associated stylistically with the first painting stage, such as the orange-red color of David's garment or the Greek key design in Saul's turban, were painted with predominately red ochre mixed with vermilion. The regions of loose, bold brushwork, such as the orange-red slashing strokes in the interior of Saul's cloak, associated with the second painting stage, were painted with predominately red ochre without vermilion. These macroscale imaging results were confirmed and extended with scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) analysis of three cross-sections taken from regions of stylistic differences associated with the two painting stages, including one sample each from the right and left sleeve of David, and one from the interior of Saul's cloak. SEM-EDX also identified a trace component, barium sulfate, associated with the red ochre of the second stage revisions. Combining mapping information from two spectroscopic imaging methods with localized information from microscopic samples has clearly shown that the stylistic differences observed in the paint handling are affiliated with differences in the chemical composition of the paints.

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“…Details of the setup have been described previously [18]. The first spectrometer utilized an EMCCD detector (ProEM1024, Princeton Instruments) operating from 380 to 1000 nm with 2.5 nm sampling, at a light level of 1500 lux for ~5 min per cube.…”

Section: Reflectance Imaging Spectroscopy (Ris)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Van Gogh’s Irises and Roses: the contribution of chemical analyses and imaging to the assessment of color changes in the red lake pigments

et al. 2017

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Vincent van Gogh's still lifes Irises and Roses were investigated to shed light onto the degree to which the paintings had changed, both individually and in relation to each other since they were painted, particularly in regard to the fading of the red lakes. Non-invasive techniques, including macroscopic X-ray fluorescence mapping, reflectance imaging spectroscopy, and X-radiography, were combined with microanalytical techniques in a select number of samples. The in-depth microchemical analysis was necessary to overcome the complications that arise when evaluating by non-invasive methods alone the compositions of passages with complex layering and mixing of paints. The results obtained by these two approaches were complemented by color measurements performed on paint cross-sections and on protected edges, and with historical information provided by the artist's own descriptions, early reviews and reproductions, and the data was used to carry out digital color simulations that provided, to a certain extent, a visualization of how the paintings may have originally appeared.

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Complementary Standoff Chemical Imaging to Map and Identify Artist Materials in an Early Italian Renaissance Panel Painting

Cited by 28 publications

References 16 publications

Reflectance imaging spectroscopy and synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence mapping used in a technical study of The Blue Room by Pablo Picasso

Reflectance imaging spectroscopy and synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence mapping used in a technical study of The Blue Room by Pablo Picasso

Separating two painting campaigns in Saul and David, attributed to Rembrandt, using macroscale reflectance and XRF imaging spectroscopies and microscale paint analysis

Van Gogh’s Irises and Roses: the contribution of chemical analyses and imaging to the assessment of color changes in the red lake pigments

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