Technical Analysis and Attribution of an Unknown Henryk Siemiradzki Nineteenth Century Painting The Feast of Dionysius I, Revealing a Hidden Composition

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article presents the results of a study conducted on The Feast of Dionysius I, a previously unknown painting attributed to Henryk Siemiradzki (1843–1902), one of the most prominent Polish painters of the nineteenth century. Analyses were performed to verify the proposed artist. The results were surprising. Not only did they confirm the authenticity of the work, but they also revealed another paint sketch underneath. We determined that the first chronologically created composition was a unique study for Siemiradzki’s famous large-scale painting, Nero’s Torches. It was possible to draw these conclusions by using of imaging at a range of wave lengths and by conducting multiple analyses with the following techniques: optical microscopy in visible light and ultraviolet radiation, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Our findings were also supported by documentary sources. The results of these analyses were then compared with the database regarding the materials (including pigments) and methods of executing paintings applied by Henryk Siemiradzki. The database was compiled based on the examinations conducted in the National Museum in Krakow of Siemiradzki’s 75 oil paintings.