The Sacred Heart of Jesus by Adolf Herman Duszek (1872–1964) as a rare example of the zinc support altar painting investigated through multiple non-invasive techniques

Abstract

The research involved the application of multiple non-invasive techniques to investigate an altar painting entitled The Sacred Heart of Jesus by Adolf Herman Duszek using a non-destructive procedure. The painting is an intriguing example of an artwork prepared on a thick zinc support, which is extraordinary and unconventional even in the 20th century. The image is also interesting because it has been damaged and shot through several times during the First and the Second World War. After WWII, the author, A. H. Duszek, performed the restoration of the painting and described this part of its history on the back. So far there has not been a single case in the literature describing the study of the zinc support multilayer painting with the following non-invasive techniques. Here, we discuss the relevance of the applied methods such as infrared reflectography (IRR), false colour infrared reflectography (IRFC), ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence (UVF), X-ray radiography and macro XRF analysis and their application for an object with this unusual kind of metal support. Finally, an interpretation of the results achieved was compared with the available historical information about the object.