Abstract Craquelures in pictorial layers are the most visible aspect of the “life” of a painting. The large variety of morphologies is caused by the different mechanical behaviours of the layers such as support, preparation layer and paint layer exhibiting specific physicochemical properties. In general, cracking affects the aesthetics of a paint layer: thus, from a strictly aesthetic point of view, craquelures are undesirable. However, the presence of craquelures can be of great interest in judging authenticity of a painting, for conservation and restoration of paintings, and to follow the evolution of a network of craquelures as a function of the environmental conditions. Moreover, the morphology of craquelures reveals the mechanical behaviours of the pictorial layer that change due to the ageing of the painting and give information about the methods used by the artist or the conditions of conservation. In this way these processes are highlighted using model systems to propose a potentially non-invasive method to deduce quantitative information about mechanical properties of a pictorial mater that are of great interest for cultural heritage.