Multi-scale optical coherence tomography imaging and visualization of Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Tom Callewaert,Joris Dik,Jerry Guo,Elmar Eisemann,Jeroen Kalkman,Guusje Harteveld,Abbie Vandivere

doi:10.1364/oe.390703

Abstract

We demonstrate multi-scale multi-parameter optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging and visualization of Johannes Vermeer's painting Girl with a Pearl Earring. Through automated acquisition, OCT image segmentation, and 3D volume stitching we realize OCT imaging at the scale of an entire painting. This makes it possible to image, with micrometer axial and lateral resolution, an entire painting over more than 5 orders of length scale. From the multi-scale OCT data we quantify multiple parameters in a fully automated way: the surface height, the scattering strength, and the combined glaze and varnish layer thickness. The multi-parameter OCT data of Girl with a Pearl Earring shows various features: Vermeer's brushstrokes, surface craquelure, paint losses, and restorations. Through an interactive visualization of the Girl, based on the OCT data and the optical properties of historical reconstructions of Vermeer's paint, we can virtually study the effect of the lighting condition, viewing angle, zoom level and presence/absence of glaze layer. The interactive visualization shows various new painting features. It demonstrates that the glaze layer structure and its optical properties were essential to Vermeer to create an extremely strong light to dark contrast between the figure and the background that gives the painting such an iconic aesthetic appeal.

Highlights

Digital visualization is transforming the study, treatment, and conservation of works of art [1] and opens up new ways to discover their origin, artistic quality, authenticity, and condition
We demonstrate multi-scale multi-parameter optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging and visualization of Johannes Vermeer’s painting Girl with a Pearl Earring
We demonstrate that with multi-parameter multi-scale OCT (MS-OCT) imaging that it is possible to clearly identify important regions of interest such as retouchings and losses in the painting in places where one would not expect them based on the visible light photograph alone

Summary

Introduction

Digital visualization is transforming the study, treatment, and conservation of works of art [1] and opens up new ways to discover their origin, artistic quality, authenticity, and condition. Optical techniques play a key role in capturing the 3D information of works of art that are the basis of digital visualizations [2]. These techniques have mainly been used to measure the outer surface of an object and not the inside. The combination of obtaining high resolution data over a large macroscopic work of art is challenging. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a high-resolution imaging application that can image an object’s surface and subsurface. OCT has, since 2004, been applied to the analysis of works of art [3,4,5]. Focusing on the application of OCT to paintings, it has been used for a variety of purposes such as: quantification of varnish drying [6], imaging of underdrawings [7], investigation of canvas deformation [8], control of varnish ablation [9], and examination of stratigraphy [10]

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