Neutron activation autoradiography and scanning macro-XRF of Rembrandt van Rijn’s Susanna and the Elders (Gemäldegalerie Berlin): a comparison of two methods for imaging of historical paintings with elemental contrast

Alfeld, Matthias; Laurenze-Landsberg, Claudia; Denker, A.; Janssens, Koen; Noble, Petria

doi:10.1007/s00339-015-9081-8

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…His biography, based on eye-witness accounts, also describes a few paintings 'in which some things had been worked out in great detail while the rest, without paying attention to any design, seemed to have been smeared on with a coarse tarbrush' … [37]. There are examples of unfinished works that Rembrandt himself completed after years had elapsedsuch as Susanna Harassed by the Elders (c. 1635-1647; Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin), where technical art history using MA-XRF and neutron activation auto radiography provided new insights [38,39]. However, there are also works, such as The Apostle Paul (c. 1657; National Gallery of Art, Washington), that seem to have been started by Rembrandt but later completed by associates imitating his painting technique [40,41].…”

Section: Art Historical Interpretation Of Analytical Resultsmentioning

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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Section: Art Historical Interpretation Of Analytical Resultsmentioning

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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“…A recent, comparative study with MA-XRF and neutron activation autoradiography of Rembrandt's Susanna and the Elders from 1647 in Berlin indicated the presence of an As pigment in lower layers of Susanna's red cloak located at the right side of the painting [27]. In this case no sample analysis was carried out and the passages of As-rich paint have been interpreted as part of a later revision by Joshua Reynolds [28].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial orpiment, a new pigment in Rembrandt’s palette

et al. 2017

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This paper reports on how the application of macro X-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF) imaging, in combination with the re-examination of existing paint cross-sections, has led to the discovery of a new pigment in Rembrandt's palette: artificial orpiment. In the NWO Science4Arts 'ReVisRembrandt' project, novel chemical imaging techniques are being developed and applied to the study of Rembrandt's late paintings in order to help resolve outstanding questions and to gain a better understanding of his late enigmatic painting technique. One of the selected case studies is the Portrait of a Couple as Isaac and Rebecca, known as 'The Jewish Bride' , dated c. 1665 and on view in the Rijksmuseum. During the re-installation of the Rijksmuseum in 2013, the picture was scanned using the Bruker M6 Jetstream MA-XRF scanner. The resulting elemental distribution maps made it possible to distinguish many features in the painting, such as bone black remains of the original hat (P, Ca maps), and the now discolored smalt-rich background (Co, Ni, As, K maps). The arsenic (As) map also revealed areas of high-intensity in Isaac's sleeve and Rebecca's dress where it could be established that it was not related with the pigment smalt that also contains arsenic. This pointed to the presence of a yellow or orange arsenic-containing pigment, such as realgar or orpiment that is not associated with the artist's palette. Subsequent examination of existing paint cross-sections from these locations taken by Karin Groen in the 1990s identified isolated, almost perfectly round particles of arsenic sulfide. The round shape corresponds with published findings on a purified form of artificial orpiment glass obtained by dry processing, a sublimation reaction. In bright field, the particles characteristically exhibit a dark cross in the middle caused by internal light reflections. The results of additional non-invasive techniques (portable XRD and portable Raman) are discussed, as well as the implications of this finding and how it fits with Rembrandt's late experimental painting technique.

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“…These instruments have allowed establishing MA-XRF with larger museums around the world having these instruments in their conservation workshops. It was shown to yield information similar to the established Neutron Activation Auto radiography with a much lower effort [15]. Also on site measurements in Etruscan and Egyptian tombs by MA-XRF have been reported [16,17].…”

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confidence: 76%