Abstract
In this work, the technique and the pictorial materials employed by Claude Monet in Pink Water Lilies, presently housed at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, were investigated. The painting underwent noninvasive investigations such as energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence and visible reflectance spectroscopies. The combined use of these techniques allowed us to identify most of the inorganic pigments such as cobalt blue and violet, zinc oxide, cadmium yellow, vermilion, and mixtures. Particularly, the spectrophotometric curves allow for the detection of the anhydrous and hydrated chromium greens. Two micro-fragments of the painting were also examined with micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the cross-sections obtained were analyzed with the optical microscope and with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy analyses allowed us to recognize the animal glue used for priming the canvas, which was covered with a ground layer consisting of calcite and lead white mixed with an oil binder. A lipidic binder was also detected in the color layer. Optical microscopy and SEM-EDS were useful to retrieve information about the stratigraphy, the distribution of pigments, and a more complete palette identification of phosphate, arsenate, and magnesium arsenate cobalt violets, and the red lake was possible.
Highlights
The artificial lake of Giverny represents one of the most frequent subjects of the entire production signed by Monet
X-Ray Fluorescence and VIS Reflectance Spectroscopy Analyses Most analysis locations chosen for EDXRF were analyzed by VIS reflectance spectroscopy (Fig. 1 and Table 1)
Chemical elements detected by EDXRF (Table 1), such as the consistent presence of zinc and cobalt in all points, led to speculation on the pigments used by Monet
Summary
The Pink Water Lilies, dated between 1897 and 1899, is one of the many water lilies paintings created by the artist It is presently being housed at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art (GNAM) in Rome. “Water Lilies” is not a name of a single painting but of a series of works. During his lifetime, Monet comes back to this subject matter several times, and painted more than 250 “Water Lilies” paintings. Twenty-five canvases belonging to the first sequence of “Water Lilies,” was exhibited at the Galerie Durand-Ruel in 1900. This was followed by a second series of 48 canvases in 1909. The “Water Lilies” series in the Orangerie in Paris was the last series that Monet worked on before he died
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