Ancient Paintings Research Articles

Painting the Palace of Apries II: ancient pigments of the reliefs from the Palace of Apries, Lower Egypt

Fragments of painted limestone reliefs from the Palace of Apries in Upper Egypt excavated by Flinders Petrie in 1908–1910 have been investigated using visible-induced luminescence imaging, micro X-ray fluorescence, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, micro X-ray powder diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The pigments have been mapped, and the use and previous reports of use of pigments are discussed. Mainly lead–antimonate yellow, lead–tin yellow, orpiment, atacamite, gypsum/anhydrite, and Egyptian blue have been detected. It is the first time that lead–antimonate yellow and lead–tin yellow have been identified in ancient Egyptian painting. In fact, this is the earliest examples known of both of these yellow pigments in the world.

GC/MS Characterization of Beeswax, Protein, Gum, Resin, and Oil in Romano-Egyptian Paintings

This article presents results from a binding media survey of 61 Romano-Egyptian paintings. Most of the paintings (51) are the better-known funerary mummy portraits created using either encaustic or tempera paint medium. Samples from all the paintings (on wooden panels or linen shrouds) were analyzed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to identify waxes, fatty acids, resins, oils, and proteins in one sample. Analytical protocols that utilized three separate derivatization techniques were developed. The first analysis identified free fatty acids, waxes, and fatty acid soaps, the second characterized oils and plant resins, and the third identified proteins. The identification of plant gums required a separate sample. Results showed that fatty acids in beeswax were present as lead soaps and dicarboxylic fatty acids in some samples was consistent with an oxidized oil. The tempera portraits were found to contain predominantly animal glue, revising the belief that egg was the primary binder used for ancient paintings. Degraded egg coatings were found on several portraits, as well as consolidation treatments using paraffin wax and animal glue. The unknown restoration history of the portraits caused uncertainty during interpretation of the findings and made the identification of ancient paint binders problematic. Also, deterioration of the wooden support, residues from mummification, biodegradation, beeswax alteration, metal soap formation, and environmental conditions before and after burial further complicated the analysis. The inherent problems encountered while characterizing ancient organic media in funerary portraits were addressed. The fourteen museums that participated in this study are members of APPEAR (Ancient Panel Paintings: Examination, Analysis, and Research), an international collaborative initiative at the J. Paul Getty Museum whose aim is to expand our understanding of ancient panel paintings through the examination of the materials and techniques used for their manufacture.

The influence of water molecules on the stability of mineral green pigments in Chinese ancient painting

The adsorption of water molecules on mineral green pigment (MGP) was investigated by using density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. The lowest-energy structures of mineral green pigment and hydrated complexes are identified, and the adsorption of water molecules on MGP forms the ring fragment with two OH···O hydrogen bonds. These hydrated complexes are very stable against dissociation into water molecule, while the coordinations of water molecules to Cu atoms can largely enhance the structural stability of these complexes, and affect the electronic structures of hydrated complexes. The UV–vis adsorption spectra of these complexes have been simulated based on the DFT calculations.

A novel automatic image segmentation method for Chinese literati paintings using multi-view fuzzy clustering technology

Under the background of contemporary cultural protection and dynamic inheritance, the interpretation and re-expression of the artistic connotations of Chinese literati paintings have become the main direction of heritage research. Digital technology and multimedia expression have become important means of cultural expression and transmission. Most Chinese literati paintings are ink paintings, and the particularity of ink painting makes it difficult to decompose and extract the screen content by simple means, which has caused difficulties in digitization, re-expression, and public interpretation to some extent. To solve this problem, a new robust multi-view (M-V) fuzzy clustering algorithm is proposed for image segmentation of Chinese literati paintings to achieve effective decomposition and extraction of ancient paintings. Through the effective decomposition and extraction of literati paintings, the electronic and digital transformation and preservation of literati paintings can be realized. This kind of preservation method, more than traditional scanning, can preserve the artistry of literati paintings, which is of great value for the re-expression and dissemination of cultural heritage. Experiments on noise-added Brodatz texture images show that the proposed algorithm is insensitive to noise and has good robustness. Experiments on real Chinese literati paintings show that the proposed algorithm can effectively segment literati paintings and further realize their decomposition and extraction.

Thermal Decomposition of Lead White for Radiocarbon Dating of Paintings

ABSTRACTLead carbonates were used as cosmetic and pigment since Antiquity. The pigment, known as lead white, was generally composed of cerussite and hydrocerussite. Unlike most ancient pigments, lead white was obtained by a synthetic route involving metallic lead, vinegar and organic matter. Fermentation of organic matter produces heat and CO2 emission, leading to the formation of carbonates. As lead white is formed by trapping CO2, radiocarbon (14C) dating can thus be considered. We have developed a protocol to prepare lead white. We selected modern pigments for the experiment implementation and ancient cosmetic and paintings for dating. After characterization of the samples by XRD, thermal decomposition of cerussite at various temperatures was explored in order to select the appropriate conditions for painting samples. CO2 extraction yield, SEM and XPS were used to characterize the process. Thermal decomposition at 400°C was successfully applied to mixtures of lead white with other paint components (oil as binder, calcite as filler/extender) and to historical samples. We obtained radiocarbon measurements in agreement with the expected dates, demonstrating that thermal decomposition at 400°C is efficient for a selective decomposition of lead white and that paintings can be directly 14C-dated by dating lead white pigment.

고려 초기 회화의 조명

In the early period of Goryeo(918~1050), a system of facilities for the storage of portraits that centered on the image of kings and princes was established, and the paintings in the early period of Goryeo advanced to a new stage by the settlement of a system for decorative paintings of palaces and screen paintings. This study identifies various aspects of the development that are distinct from ancient paintings during the Unified Silla period in the time of the Three Kingdoms of Korea by new creative activities, the rise of new topics in general paintings, and the new development of Buddhist paintings. In particular, the following were well received in China: Handheld fans with flower paintings made with Goryeo’s unique colors and materials, the bluegreen landscape paintings and scenery, paintings of the Eight Elders(八老圖) which is supposed to have painted Kekyong’s eight noble castles(八眞仙) and Buddhist paintings of the Heavenly Kings(行道天王圖) as well.BR In the Northern Song period of the Golden Age of Painting, renowned critics said that sophistication and elaboration in painting had been outstanding and unmatched by other countries and had become the subject of masters and art collection. Through existing two-piece landscape paintings, the astonishingly delicate and intricate features of contemporary Goryeo paintings, as well as the features of the national landscape, can be observed. The accomplishments and progress made in the early Goryeo period transformed the history of Korean painting; this progress is of considerable significance owing to the foundational role it played for Goryeo painting, which was developed alongside the consciousness of Chinese civilization.

This 3-million-year-old mouse just gave scientists the key to decoding ancient red pigments

This 3-million-year-old mouse just gave scientists the key to decoding ancient red pigments

Mental mapping in the admiration song in Song of Songs 7:2–7

Mental mapping is a method of interpreting with conceptual metaphors. This method is applied to the admiration song in Song of Songs 7:2–7. The song is interpreted in the context of a dance. For the purpose of interpretation, ancient Egyptian dance paintings and love poems are taken into account. The interpretation presents a methodological study that unmasks arbitrary exegesis and implausible interpretations. It discovers its subtle conceptual metaphors and shows a strategy for a comprehensible exegesis. As a side effect, the male chauvinism present in this song is deconstructed.

Investigation of the archeological remains using ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry.

Investigation of the archeological material at the molecular level can reveal the composition of ancient paint, balsamic material, reveal cooking recipes, etc. High-resolution mass spectrometry is a powerful technique with underestimated potential for archeology. Here, we present the investigation of the 3000-year-old archeological remains, identified as parts of internal organs of an Egyptian mummy, using high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry. We observed a diverse number of oxidized classes of compounds: O, O2, O3, O4, O5, N, NO, NO2, NO3, NO4, NO5, N2O, N2O2. Such chemical composition is unusual and we never observed it in our previous studies of petroleum, humic substances, products of wood pyrolysis or other natural complex mixtures. It is possible that such compounds are formed via biodegradation of lipids and other organic material used for funeral rites. We did not observe evidence of the presence of mineral bitumen, although there are many historical records of the use of mineral bitumen for mummification.

An enhanced procedure for the analysis of organic binders in Pompeian\u2019s wall paintings from Insula Occidentalis

Quantitation of paint powders of ancient wall paintings is often hindered by the calcite contamination during samples withdrawal. To overcome this problem, a new approach was explored based on the mechanical pulverization of the paint powder followed by the evaluation of its true concentration, namely binders, pigments, and decaying compounds, from the comparison of the calcite FT-IR peak area at 2510 cm−1 with that of the corresponding underlying calcite used as calibrator. After extraction of the pulverized paint powder with polar and nonpolar solvents, liquid chromatography, gas chromatography with flame ionization detection, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were used to estimate the free amino acids, and fatty acids profiles. Compared to our previous investigation, the results obtained showed a better yield of the extracted organic materials as mg/kg of powder and also a qualitative improvement of the lipids profile.

Detection of Cracked Digitized Paintings and Manuscripts Based on Threshold Techniques

Ancient paintings are cultural heritages that requireextensive and intricate preservation undertakings. With the passage of time, paintings can be damaged, and common deteriorations found in the ancient paintings include cracking. Cracks can be caused by many factors, such as aging, drying, and mechanical factors. Fortunately, digital images of ancient paintings can be restored using image processing techniques. This work involved with the development of an automatic crack detection system. First, the binarization technique was applied to the digital images that allowed for the extraction of cracks from the background of these images, based on the thresholding segmentation technique after using the top-hat transformation technique during pre-processing. Thin dark patterns that were misidentified as cracks were then automatically removed. This was then followed by the crack filling via order statistic algorithm. The main contribution of this paper is a simple and robust monochrome method that can be used to restore digital images of historical paintings and manuscripts.

First Analytical Study on Second-Century Wall Paintings from Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa: Insights on the Materials and Painting Technique

ABSTRACTThis article reports the first analytical study carried on some of the oldest surviving examples of Roman wall paintings, discovered so far on the Romanian territory. Dating back to the second century, these decorative polychrome wall painting fragments were found during an archaeological research carried at Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, and represent the first mural paintings ever found on site. A set of samples was analyzed using various non-destructive and micro-invasive techniques in order to investigate the material composition and explore the painting technique. The employed methodology allowed for an in-depth characterization of the color palette, generally based on mineral pigments such as red earth, celadonite, yellow ochre, calcite, and strontianite. The absence of organic binders and the possibility to differentiate specific spectral features infer the use of a fresco-secco technique. The results obtained provide important data regarding the artistic and technological skill of ancient painters in this part of the Roman Empire, and they significantly contribute to the research and conservation work carried out at this impressive archaeological site.

An Unknown Renaissance Portrait of Tagliacozzi (1545-1599), the Founder of Plastic Surgery.

Summary:This article examines a recently discovered painting of a young scholar holding a reconstructed nose. Experts in ancient paintings have confirmed that the portrait is an authentic painting of the School of Bologna in Italy, from the last quarter of the Renaissance. In the 1580s, Gaspare Tagliacozzi (1545–1599), a young professor in surgery and anatomy at the University of Bologna, Italy, was the only one to carry out reconstructions of the nose and other missing parts of the face. We have looked whether different relevant components of this painting, which is presented for the first time to the medical community, could match with Tagliacozzi’s life and achievements. We have also compared the portrait to another portrait of Tagliacozzi painted circa 1597, which belongs to the institute Rizzoli in Bologna, Italy. The latter depicts Tagliacozzi as an older established surgeon. He is seen presenting his illustrated book, De Curtorum Chirurgia per Insitionem (On the surgical restoration of defects), which is the first book devoted to plastic surgery. We have concluded that the young Renaissance scholar is Tagliacozzi. This portrait and the Rizzoli’s portrait represent Tagliacozzi at the beginning and at the peak of his professional involvement in the field of plastic surgery. Tagliacozzi is the first medical doctor to practice plastic surgery as well as write about it. He also taught plastic surgery for the first time in a prestigious Renaissance school of medicine. Tagliacozzi’s illustrated book of plastic surgery published in 1597, disrupted the contemporary medical community. For all these reasons, Tagliacozzi can be considered as the founder of plastic surgery. Unfortunately, he died at the age of 54, which put a term to the development of this field. Tagliacozzi’s work was rediscovered, 2 centuries later, by the English surgeon J.C. Carpue (1764–1846) during the revival of plastic surgery.

Jerome J. Pollitt (ed.) The Cambridge History of Painting in the Classical World.

Reconstructing a single coherent history of painted images over almost two and a half millennia and across a wide variety of cultural contexts in the Mediterranean and Europe is a daunting task, especially today, at a time when the notions of diversity and multiplicity play a crucial role in the study of classical antiquity. The editor Jerome J. Pollitt introduces this study as the first attempt, after Mary Hamilton Swindler’s 1929 Ancient Painting, to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date survey of ancient Greek and Roman panel and mural painting from the Bronze Age to Late Antiquity, and to offer a critical assessment of past and current research on the paintings’ style, technique, iconography and sociocultural context. This ambitious study gathers nine essays by world-leading experts in different areas of ancient painting and is an essential tool for both students and specialists.

Court Painter An Geon-yeong (1841~1877), His Life and Figure Painting of the Late Joseon Period

An Geon-yeong (sobriquet: Haesa, 1841~1877) is a court painter from the late Joseon period. An honorable mention, “[t]he expertise of the [Royal] Academy [of Painting] went no farther than Jang Seung-up and An Geon-yeong,” testifies to the strong impression An has left. The scarcity of literary sources and extant works, however, has led to address him no more than briefly or fragmentarily. A recent study that examines the introduction of pictorial styles from the Qing dynasty through the lens of An’s works certainly deserves recognition, although it contains a few misunderstandings and a limited grasp of his works. This study aims to correct the biographic misapprehensions and take a comprehensive look of his figure paintings. The misunderstandings are of his name, style name, and dates. It turns out that during his career An Geon-yeong favored his given name of a different Chinese character from what has been known. His style name is Hakwon, not Hyowon. The year of his death should be modified from 1876 to 1877. No records clearly indicate An’s social relations, but verbal accounts and seals of his daughterin-law provide a clue for the painter’s associations. First, this essay pays a particular attention to the relation between An Geon-yeong and An Jungsik (1861~1919) that the daughter-in-law has mentioned. The reliability of her accounts and An’s painting styles combine to suggest a close relationship between the two Ans. The seals and writing styles remaining on An Geon-yeong’s paintings make it possible to infer his connection to Yi Sangjeok (1804~1865) and Jeong Hakgyo (1832~1914). Figure paintings by An Geon-yeong divides largely into a decorative type and another type in the manner of Gim Hongdo’s sytle. The decorative ones feature exquisite splendors, while taking themes from painting manuals or historical narratives. An’s revivals of old paintings from the manuals seem to have fulfilled a growing demand and desire to own antique paintings in the late Joseon period when the collecting fever of antiquities, ancient paintings and calligraphy was prevalent. Likewise, his illustrations of classical narratives with decorative touches have accommodated consumers’ preferences. On the other hand, An’s figure paintings in the manner of Gim Hongdo take advantage of stock images or Gim’s style, a widespread practice among late Joseon court painters. Jin dogeum gyonbon cheop (Album of Sample Drawings for Daoist Gilt Painting), produced while in work shifts at Dohwaseo (Bureau of Painting), displays the way in which court painters produced albums by sharing a body of pictorial motifs. Dohwaso sihwa (Painting Examination at Bureau of Painting), preserving exam grades, shows Gim’s styles in addition to sharing the motifs. The several aspects of An Geon-yeong’s figure paintings speak to the court painters of the late Joseon period. This paper’s examination of his paintings goes along with discussions on the artistic trends of the late Joseon and the production contexts surrounding Dohwaseo. An has so far been noted for a court painter representing the cultural exchange between the late Joseon and the Qing dynasty. Besides the exchange, An’s figure paintings lead to a synthetic understanding of how court painters of the period produced works of art.

Novootkriveni fragment antičkog zidnog oslika iz Cavtata: istraživanje, konzerviranje i mogućnost prezentacije

Novootkriveni fragment antičkog zidnog oslika iz Cavtata: istraživanje, konzerviranje i mogućnost prezentacije

Using Raman spectroscopy to estimate the dates of carbon-based inks from Ancient Egypt

In the first study of its kind, we previously investigated Raman spectra of 17 papyri from the Columbia University Libraries collection, written in carbon-based black ink with well-established dates between 400 BCE and 1000 CE. Using a simple two-peak spectral model for the Raman spectrum of carbonaceous materials, we discovered small but statistically significant systematic variations in the spectral parameters with manuscript date. The purposes of this report are to present: (1) more-powerful statistical examinations of the correlation based on the two-peak spectral model and on a new three-peak model which includes spectral effects for amorphous carbon; (2) new data for additional ancient manuscripts, broadening the investigation; (3) a method for potentially exploiting the observed correlation to predict the dates of undated manuscripts of similar character; and (4) a hypothesis as to the underlying chemical basis of the observed spectral changes. We apply both linear and multiple linear regression analyses to the spectral models. We show that the three-peak model fits the experimental data much better than the two-peak model. Through the use of multiple linear regression, the three-peak model reduces significantly the overall correlation error. We find that our ability to predict dates for manuscripts that are similar to those of the study over the date range 400 BCE to 1000 CE is limited by intrinsic variations in the character of the pigments to about ± 118 years with 68% statistical confidence (or ± 236 years with 95% confidence). We confirm the observed correlation and prediction capabilities through a blind study of six additional ancient manuscripts and two late 19th- or early 20th-century fakes in the Columbia University collection. The data suggest that chemical degradation of amorphous carbon and chemical modification of graphitic crystals may both contribute to the observed spectral differences. This would also account for the magnitude of the variance in spectral character we observe, which possibly reflects differences in pigment manufacture processes as well as the effects of differences in chemical micro-environments after writing. The chemical degradation hypothesis receives additional support from previously unreported examination of two manuscripts from the collection of the Brooklyn Museum. The older of these, dated through conventional papyrological methods to 2323-2150 BCE, deviates from the linear regression models, but in a way consistent with chemical (i.e., non-linear) degradation. For comparison, we report Raman scattering for 8 different modern inks using the same protocol we developed for the ancient inks. Using statistical techniques based on Gaussian Mixture Modeling, we demonstrate differences between the spectral character of the inks of our base study and those prepared from modern reference pigments. This allows us to define a mathematical quantity that can distinguish between spectra of pigments that are spectrally similar to the ancient pigments studied here and those that are not. This new and non-destructive method produces a statistically robust indication of the antiquity and rough period (e.g., Ptolemaic, Roman, etc.) of the inks in question, if not the precise date. We hypothesize that the potential for greater precision is likely limited by the intrinsic variations in the spectral characteristics of the inks from manuscript to manuscript.

Rondinini paintings rediscovered: A self-portrait by Paul Bril and a ‘witchcraft’ by Pieter van Laer

Abstract The Rondinini family is important for having developed a well-defined taste in collecting during the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries, with an interest in ancient sculpture and painting staged in their palaces and villas in Rome and its surroundings. The most eminent artists active in seventeenth-century Rome worked for them. The paintings presented here are the most relevant examples of a great number of works that have re-emerged during a collaborative research project conducted by the universities of Florence and Salerno on the family’s contributions to the history of collecting. The first is a signed self-portrait by the Flemish artist Paul Bril, a pioneer amongst the landscape painters active in Rome between the late 1500s and early 1600s – a work of large size for the artist (110.0 x 81.5 cm); the second is a ‘witchcraft crowded with figures’ painted by Pieter van Laer, an eminent Dutch painter and leader of the group of masters called the ‘Bamboccianti’.

Pigment identification on an undated Chinese painting by non-destructive analysis

Three-dimensional video microscopy, Raman microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy were applied on a Qing dynasty meticulous painting named ‘Guan Gong Reads the Spring and Autumn Annals at Night’. All pigments were identified, including calcite, Paris green, hematite, gypsum, cinnabar, carbon black, quartz crystal, synthetic ultramarine blue and brass powder. Colors on the painting, in most parts, can be explained by a single pigment; while it is also true that some are caused by mixed pigments. The manufacture date of the painting should be no earlier than 1828. In addition, brass powder was used as pigment no later than the Qing dynasty. Finally, the combination of multiple non-destructive methods is an ideal for researching Chinese ancient paintings.

Dating ancient paintings of Mogao Grottoes using deeply learnt visual codes

Cultural heritage is the asset of all the peoples of the world. The preservation and inheritance of cultural heritage is conducive to the progress of human civilization. In northwestern China, there is a world heritage site -- Mogao Grottoes -- that has a plenty of mural paintings showing the historical cultures of ancient China. To study these historical cultures, one critical procedure is to date the mural paintings, i.e., determining the era when they were created. Until now, most mural paintings at Mogao Grottoes have been dated by directly referring to the mural texts or historical documents. However, some are still left with creation-era undetermined due to the lack of reference materials. Considering that the drawing style of mural paintings was changing along the history and the drawing style can be learned and quantified through painting data, we formulate the problem of mural-painting dating into a problem of drawing-style classification. In fact, drawing styles can be expressed not only in color or curvature, but also in some unknown forms -- the forms that have not been observed. To this end, besides sophisticated color and shape descriptors, a deep convolution neural network is designed to encode the implicit drawing styles. 3860 mural paintings collected from 194 different grottoes with determined creation-era labels are used to train the classification model and build the dating method. In experiments, the proposed dating method is applied to seven mural paintings which were previously dated with controversies, and the exciting new dating results are approved by the Dunhuang expert.