Abstract
This article discusses the technical examination of five flower and fruit still life paintings by the seventeenth century artist Jan Davidsz. de Heem (1606–1684). The painter is known for his meticulously composed and finely detailed still life paintings and is a master in imitating the surface textures of various fruits, flowers, and objects. Macro X-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF) scanning experiments were supplemented with a study of paint cross-sections and contemporary art technical sources with the aim of reconstructing the complex build-up of the overall lay-in of the composition and individual subjects. MA-XRF provided information on the distribution of key chemical elements present in painting materials and made it possible to recapture evidence of the different phases in the artist’s working methods: from the application of the ground layers, to De Heem’s characteristic oval-shaped underpaintings, and finally, the superposition of multiple paint layers in the working up of the paintings. SEM–EDX analysis of a limited number of paint cross-sections complemented the chemical images with local and layer-specific information on the microscale, providing more accuracy on the layer sequence and enabling the study of elements with a low atomic number for which the non-invasive technique is less sensitive. The results from this technical examination were in addition compared with recipes and paint instructions, to obtain a better understanding of the relation between the general practice and actual painting technique of Jan Davidsz. de Heem. Ultimately, this combined approach uncovered new information on De Heem’s artistic practice and demonstrated the complementarity of the methods.
Highlights
Analytical imaging techniques are of great value for the investigation of old master paintings
There is a variable degree of attenuation of the signal, depending on the thickness, atomic number and density of superimposed materials, that has to be taken into account while interpreting the chemical maps
De Heem’s painting technique is discussed based on examination of the five still lifes under the optical microscope, elemental distribution maps and paint cross-sections linked with technical sources
Summary
Analytical imaging techniques are of great value for the investigation of old master paintings. There is a variable degree of attenuation of the signal, depending on the thickness, atomic number and density of superimposed materials, that has to be taken into account while interpreting the chemical maps. To address this limitation and to assess the extent to which MA-XRF scanning can characterize a multi-layered painting technique, MA-XRF experiments on five still life paintings of Jan Davidsz. Jan Davidsz de Heem is known for his elaborate finely detailed and meticulously composed still life paintings and considered as ‘one of the most notorious flower- and fruit painters’ [7]. The case studies are five flower and fruit still life paintings, dated in De Heem’s middle-late period between the 1650s and 1684, with similar subject matters, from the collection of the Rijksmuseum, the Mauritshuis and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call