Technical Art History Research Articles

Materials and Techniques between the Humanities and Science: Introduction

Collaborations and conflicts between the sciences and the humanities are central to disciplines from digital humanities to archaeology. The exploration of these tensions and synergies in the newly emerging field of technical art history is the focus of this forum. This is also a first step toward the writing of the history of conservation. The disciplinary conflict between science and the humanities in the study of materials and techniques relies on hierarchies of the material and the intellectual and of the hand and the mind. These same epistemic hierarchies are still at work in shaping processes of collaboration between conservators, conservation scientists, and art historians. The forum marks a few signposts that will help us to complete our picture of the long-term development of the study of materials and techniques in art from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century.

Notes on Contributors

Notes on Contributors

The Materials and Techniques of William Robinson

The William Robinson Gallery is the only gallery in Australia dedicated to the work of a living artist. The significance of this collection in conjunction with the artist's co-operation has provided impetus for a research project dedicated to compiling a technical art history of Robinson's materials and techniques for posterity, and to inform long-term conservation of the artist's works. Artist's interviews, technical analysis and an online conservation survey reveal that Robinson's materials and techniques evolved in response to the changes in his subject matter and also highlighted discrepancies where the presence of certain materials, or lack thereof, was unintended by the artist. Some of these materials, such as zinc stearate, are associated with deterioration in the artists’ work. Samples from 16 paintings were investigated using a combination of analytical techniques including optical microscopy, ultraviolet fluorescence photography, Fourier Transform Infrared microspectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis and Synchrotron source Fourier Transform Infrared microspectroscopy.

Analysis and conservation of modern modeling materials found in Auguste Rodin's sculptures

Prior to the exhibition Portrait-making, Rodin and his models (2009), the Rodin museum wanted to restore two busts of Hanako and Clemenceau. Interestingly, these two sculptures contain pieces of modern modeling materials (MMMs) invented at the end of the nineteenth century as an alternative to clay or waxes. The poor state of conservation of the two portraits made any handling and exhibition impossible. Accordingly, the purpose of this article is twofold: to contribute to technical art history and conservation. Elemental and chemical analyses were done on samples from 12 sculptures (SEM–EDX, FTIR, GC–MS, GC–FID, XRD, synchrotron-based µXRF, µXANES, and µFTIR) aimed at identifying the composition of MMMs used by Rodin on plaster sculptures and establishing hypotheses about the origins of their degradation. This thorough study of their composition and degradation was necessary to implement an appropriate restoration plan. The development of conservation protocols adapted to such materials is rarely documented. Different tests were performed on mock-ups (pH, solubility, adhesion, consolidation, and cleaning). In particular, a protocol based on laser cleaning was developed and successfully applied to remove superficial dust and crusts so that the sculptures regained their original aspect.

Multi‐analytical approach to the material characterization of 16th century wall paintings from Ribeira Sacra (Galicia, NWSpain): Pictorial palette, technique and alterations

AbstractThe present work aims to investigate for the first time the materials used in Ribeira Sacra's 16th century murals, as this knowledge would be valuable for research in Technical Art History and for interventions of conservation. A multi‐analytical approach is proposed for the investigation of the pictorial palette and technique, and the degradation products. Technical photography (Vis‐RAK, IR, UV, micro‐photography) and non‐invasive analysis by XRF and Vis‐RS were performed on site. Micro‐samples were taken carefully and studied in the laboratory by means of OM, SEM‐EDX, MRS, FTIR, µ‐XRD, GC‐MS, MALDI‐TOF/TOF, and HPLC‐ESI‐TOF. The analytical results revealed a basic palette of natural red, yellow and brown earth pigments, calcite and several varieties of carbon black. A chromatic enrichment of the palette is observed from the second half of the 16th century, incorporating green, blue and purple colourants. The main pictorial technique is fresco. Some of the pigments, like red lead and azurite, were found altered and the degradation causes and mechanisms were investigated. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 41, 263–269, 2016

An ARCHLAB project: researches on the painting technique of the three panels of the Battle of San Romano by Paolo Uccello

The objective of this research was to create a comparative database comprising findings from the London and Paris Battle’s with those that are currently being obtained from the research on the Uffizi painting. With experts from the Scientific Departments of the two Museums we made a comparative study of the silver-leaf usage and decoration techniques, and study the nature of the decorative organic layers present on the surface of metal leaf, from the perspective of technical art history and as a possible tool for cleaning options of the Uffizi panel.

Wall Painting Investigation by Means of Non-invasive Terahertz Time-Domain Imaging (THz-TDI): Inspection of Subsurface Structures Buried in Historical Plasters

Characterization of subsurface features of wall paintings is important in conservation and technical art history as well as in building archaeology and architecture fields. In this study, an area of the apsidal wall painting of Nebbelunde Church (Rodby, Denmark) has been investigated by means of terahertz time-domain imaging (THz-TDI). Subsurface structures have been detected at different depths inside the lime-based plaster of the wall painting until approximately 1 cm from the surface. The surface morphology of the buried structures has been 3D imaged in detail, providing a substantial contribution in their characterization.

SOURCE CODE ANALYSIS AS TECHNICAL ART HISTORY

As part of its program to conserve software-based artworks, the Museum of Modern Art undertook a risk analysis of 13 works that use a variety of software programs, programming languages, and code libraries. Risks assessed in this study include the potential impact due to changes and upgrades to hardware, operating systems, and programming languages that would render the software obsolete. The assessment made clear that one of the museum's primary conservation strategies should be building technical documentation about the artworks. Consequently, the museum undertook a second project to build documentation about the software and hardware dependencies for 13 software-based works. While analyzing artist-rendered source code, the researchers in some cases discovered hidden information about the working methods of the artists and their programmers. This information includes the development of aesthetic properties such as color, movement, and sound. The discovery of these clues to the artists’ concerns broadened the scope of the research to include an argument for source code analysis as a tool for technical art history. In this article the authors describe the potential for adapting documentation methods from software engineering for conservation purposes, and further argue for using these methods in art-historical research.

Vignettes of interdisciplinary technical art history investigation

The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation oral history archive, which began in 1975, contains almost 300 interviews with pioneer conservators, conservation scientists, and art historians. Technical examination and technical art history, as exemplified by Roger H. Marijnissen’s publications, has undergone many changes since the 1950s; this article briefly surveys the field, focusing on the examination of easel paintings, with the aid of voices and personal observations from the interviews available in the international oral history archive of the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation.

Gilt-Teller: uma Nova Ferramenta Multimédia Ao Serviço Da Divulgação Da Ciência Da Conservação

The paper focuses on an innovative bilingual multimedia tool designed within the research project funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) – Gilt-Teller, an interdisciplinary multiscale study of gilding techniques and materials in Portugal, 1500- 1800. The tool was designed with the help of the company Take the Wind Lda. (Coimbra) and is based on an online platform (www.gilt-teller.pt). It has different components, from documents of general description of the project, its team and outcomes in terms of publica-tions and conference presentation or workshop organization to the historical background of the project and short characterization of the main stylistic epoques considered under study. The three innovative components are: the bilingual glossary on gilding materials and techniques (http://www.gilt-teller.pt/index.php/glossary/index); a movie with the data on laboratory documented reconstructions of gilded composites based on Portuguese recipes (http://www.gilt-teller.pt/index.php/site/historicalReconstructions) and 11 case studies with gilded decoration from the European heritage (http://www.gilt-teller.pt/index.php/site/additionalMaterials).For the first time in Portugal an open access bilingual database including the most representa-tive altarpieces and polychrome sculptures studied within the project was made available to larger and specialized public. For the first time this multimedia tool will bring together knowledge from three different scientific areas, all related with the topic of the project: Art History (with a component of Technical Art History), Conservation and Heritage Science.

MEDIEVAL PAINTED SAINTS MEETING MODERN MEDIA. PROJECT: “RODE ALTARPIECE IN CLOSE-UP”

The retable of the high altar of St Nicholas’ Church in Tallinn was made between 1478 and 1481 in Hermen Rode’s workshop in Lubeck. It is one of the most magnifcent and best preserved late medieval northern German altarpieces in Europe and one of the greatest masterpieces in the collection of the Art Museum of Estonia. From 1975 to 1992, the retable was restored by the Research Institute of Restoration, but the work was not completed. In 2013, the works were continued and the project “Rode Altarpiece in Close-Up” was launched. The conservation work coincides with a major research project in technical art history, with the aim of positioning the retable within the oeuvre of Hermen Rode’s workshop, as well as within the wider framework of late medieval German art and culture. The wider goal of the project is to map, test and develop the capacity and resources in Estonia for scientifc (instrumental) investigation of art works through the combination of technical and more conventional art historical research. The kick-of event of the project was a five-day intensive workshop on topics related to wooden polychrome objects. The need to organise the intensive workshop stemmed from the intended continuation of the conservation work on the high altar retable of St Nicholas’, and from the necessity of discussing contemporary conservation principles among wider academic and professional audiences. The course was led by Dr Arnulf von Ulmann, the former director of the Institute of Art Techniques and Conservation of the German National Museum. Dr von Ulmann’s lectures were dedicated to the diferent aspects of polychrome wooden object conservation from the manufacturing and decorating to the decay and preservation of the art works. The practical workshops were dedicated to the study of the high altar retable of St Nicholas’. The discussions of these sessions concentrated on the question of how past conservation decisions infuence present and future decisions ethically, aesthetically and methodologically.

Culture and trade through the prism of technical art history: A study of Chinese export paintings

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) has a collection of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Chinese export paintings produced by artists from Guang Zhou (then known as Canton in Western Europe) or ...

Analysis of geological ochre: its geochemistry, use, and exchange in the US Northern Great Plains

Samples of pigments indigenous to the US Northern Great Plains were collected in association with the conservation of a buffalo hide tanned and painted by a Crow Indian(s) in the 19th century, which is now in the collection of the National Museum of American Indian. The pigments were characterised using a series of analytical techniques – some common and others uncommon to the conservation science field, including portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). XRF is not capable of differentiating between various ochre samples due to high detection limits. XRD can detect some matrix minerals in each sample, but these data cannot characterise pigments by original source location. INAA is capable of characterizing ochres from different sources based on trace element geochemistry; however, the large sample size it requires (approximately 100 mg), makes sampling from objects challenging and therefore makes it difficult to use for technical art history studies that focus on museum objects. INAA is useful if applied to reference materials, such as historic pigments or known sources for historic artistic materials.

The Artist’s Fingerprint. The manufa cturing technique in Johann Köler’s fresco Come unto Me, All…

Hilkka Hiiop: The Artist’s Fingerprint. The conservation and technical examination of Johann Koler’s fresco Come unto Me, All… Keywords: fresco painting, artist’s technique, artistic practice, technical conditions of th e painting, conservation Summary: The article focuses on the artist’s technique in Johann Koler’s apse painting in the fresco technique, and the resulting conservation problems. In 2013, a technical examination was made and conservation-restoration work carried out on the altarpiece by Johan Koler in the apse of Kaarli Church in Tallinn. This was the first complete conservation of the painting since its completion. In order to conduct the conservation work, scaffolding was installed in front of the painting, which is located at a height that is normally inaccessible. In addition to making the conservation work possible, this also made it possible to conduct a thorough technical examination of the work. Since, in the local context, this is a unique painting in fresco technique, the wet layer of plaster had stored a large amount of information. “Reading” of this information provides insight into the artist’s work methods and an interpretation of the marks left by the author. In the course of the research, the following features were identified: the artist’s handprint pressed into the wet plaster, the time sequence of the execution of the painting, the number of individual plaster areas, the location of the structural lines used in the preparation of the work, the various methods used to transfer the outlines from the 1:1 cartoons, etc. CV: Hilkka Hiiop (PhD) is head of Conservation Departement in Art Museum of Estonia and responsible of contemporary art conservation in Kumu Art Museum. She is also assistant professor and coordinator of the artefact conservation branch at the Estonian Academy of Art, Departement of Conservation. 2003–2009 she was working as a conservator of mural paintings in Rome. She has supervised many conservation and technical investigation projects in Estonia, cureated exhibitions made scientific research on topic of conservation and technical art history. Hiiop’s PhD theses (2012) treated the conservation management of contemporary art.

A Newly Conserved Plafond Painting En riches the Old Town of Tallinn

An exquisite panel muralceiling painting was conserved and restored in the Old Town of Tallinn at the Rahukohtu 5 building on the Patkul viewing platform after more than a decade of exposition to unsatisfactory environmental conditions. This article provides a brief overview of the estate history and its owners, placing the conserved mural within the historical context of ceiling panelling in Tallinn, and addresses the issues of simultaneous exhibition of diverse historical strata and theconception of conserving both the mural and its surrounding space.CV – Hilkka Hi iopHilkka Hiiop (PhD) is the head of Conservation Departement in Art Museum of Estonia as well as being responsible for contemporary art conservation in Kumu Art Museum. She is also assistant professor and coordinator of the artefact conservation branch at the Estonian Academy of Art, Departement of Conservation. She has worked as a conservator of mural paintings in Rome 2003–2009, supervised a number of conservation and technical investigation projects in Estonia, curated exhibitions, and made scientific research on topic of conservation and technical art history. Hiiop’s PhD theses (2012) treated the conservation management of contemporary art.CV – Eva TammekiviEva Tammekivi is a graduate student at the Estonian Academy of Arts, Department of Cultural Heritage and Conservation. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the Estonian Academy of Arts in 2012 with the thesis titled An Altarpiece Found in the Attic Makes Its Way to the Church: Survey and Conservation of the Altarpiece ‚Lord help me!‘ She has contributed to several studies of interior decoration and has also taken part in conservation and restoration projects including an eighteenth century painted board ceiling in the Old Town of Tallinn, Johann Köler’s altarpiece in St Charles Church in Tallinn, and lunette paintings in the Great Guild Hall of Tallinn.

High-resolution non-invasive 3D imaging of paint microstructure by synchrotron-based X-ray laminography

The characterisation of the microstructure and micromechanical behaviour of paint is key to a range of problems related to the conservation or technical art history of paintings. Synchrotron-based X-ray laminography is demonstrated in this paper to image the local sub-surface microstructure in paintings in a non-invasive and non-destructive way. Based on absorption and phase contrast, the method can provide high-resolution 3D maps of the paint stratigraphy, including the substrate, and visualise small features, such as pigment particles, voids, cracks, wood cells, canvas fibres etc. Reconstructions may be indicative of local density or chemical composition due to increased attenuation of X-rays by elements of higher atomic number. The paint layers and their interfaces can be distinguished via variations in morphology or composition. Results of feasibility tests on a painting mockup (oak panel, chalk ground, vermilion and lead white paint) are shown, where lateral and depth resolution of up to a few micrometres is demonstrated. The method is well adapted to study the temporal evolution of the stratigraphy in test specimens and offers an alternative to destructive sampling of original works of art.

Turning Points in Technical Art History in American Art

Next article No AccessTurning Points in Technical Art History in American ArtJoyce Hill StonerJoyce Hill Stoner Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by American Art Volume 26, Number 1Spring 2012 Sponsored by the Smithsonian American Art Museum Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/665624 Views: 237Total views on this site Citations: 4Citations are reported from Crossref © 2012 by The Smithsonian Institution. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Robin Veder What the Archive Wants, American Art 31, no.22 (Aug 2017): 4–7.https://doi.org/10.1086/694042John Davis Teaching with American Art, American Art 31, no.22 (Aug 2017): 7–8.https://doi.org/10.1086/694043Deena Engel, Glenn Wharton SOURCE CODE ANALYSIS AS TECHNICAL ART HISTORY, Journal of the American Institute for Conservation 54, no.22 (Jun 2015): 91–101.https://doi.org/10.1179/1945233015Y.0000000004Ethan W. Lasser The Maker's Share, (Jan 2015): 95–110.https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118542644.ch6

Inexpensive, Near-Infrared Imaging of Artwork Using a Night-Vision Webcam for Chemistry-of-Art Courses

Imaging of artwork is an important aspect of art conservation, technical art history, and art authentication. Many forms of near-infrared (NIR) imaging are used by conservators, archaeologists, forensic scientists, and technical art historians to examine the underdrawings of paintings, to detect damages and restorations, to enhance faded or overpainted inscriptions, to study artists' techniques, to examine questioned documents, and as a nondestructive analytical tool for identifying certain pigments. The spectroscopic principles underlying the NIR imaging of artwork offer a powerful and engaging teaching opportunity for educators offering a chemistry-of-art course. This article introduces an inexpensive imaging system based on a night-vision webcam. The low cost of the total system (less than $20) could allow every student in a science course to use a NIR imaging camera. Examples are given to show the many techniques of NIR imaging that are important in the fields of art conservation and technical art history. Furthermore, additional spectroscopic experiments exploring the diffuse reflection spectra of traditional pigments in the visible and NIR regions are recommended to help explain the numerous interaction phenomena responsible for the NIR images of artwork and other objects and the occasionally bewildering images acquired outside the familiar visible spectrum.

A Note on the Imaging of Lead White and Vermilion Paint Layers by Synchrotron Radiation-based, Simultaneous Dual Energy K-edge Absorption Radiography

An imaging method is discussed that allows for the differentiated imaging of lead white and vermilion in a painting. These noninvasive experiments were performed at the biomedical beamline ID17 of the Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble. This was done to gain a better understanding of original painting technique. In particular the use of vermilion and lead white for portrait painting is significant; the relevance is indicated for technical art history, as well as for problems of conservation. The method is demonstrated here in the study of a portrait by the 17th century master Carel Fabritius. Monochromatic synchrotron radiation beams were used to obtain quantitative images of different paint layers. The facilities allow for differentiation of pigments with elements greater than 20 keV. Two simultaneous images were acquired, each at two different energies, above and below the K-edges of lead and mercury. Logarithmic subtraction of the two images yields relevant distribution images. This technique is known as K-edge absorption radiography.

STORIES FROM A BUILDING SITE

The paper considers how technical art history facilitates intellectual access to cultural heritage. In the light of contemporary documentation, it examines the Westminster Retable, England's oldest easel painting, to draw technical and economic links between the Retable and Westminster Abbey. It suggests that details of construction and cost provide frames of reference in which to approach the severely damaged polychrome object.