Development of new imaging techniques for the study and interpretation of late Rembrandt paintings

Recent macro-XRF scanning of Rembrandt’s Selfportrait from 1669 in the Mauritshuis – as part of the ReVisRembrandt project – has revealed significant new information about the pigments and build-up of the painting. The elemental distribution maps make clear that the umber-rich ground plays a very important role in the final appearance of this painting, information that is highly relevant for the study of this self-portrait, as well as many other late Rembrandt paintings. It was also possible to image the presence of organic lakes (by means of the potassium map) and bone black (by means of the calcium and phosphorus maps) in the upper paint layers. In addition to conventional investigative techniques, such as x-radiography and infrared imaging, it is anticipated macro-XRF scanning will become an important diagnostic tool for conservators and art historians alike

MA-XRF imaging on René Magritte's La condition humaine: Insights into the artist's palette and technique and the discovery of a third quarter of La pose enchantée

Abstract Magritte’s composition La condition humaine, 1935 was found to conceal under its paint layers an entire quarter of a lost composition by the artist, until recently only known from a small black/white catalogue illustration—La pose enchantée, 1927. This study is the latest contribution to the discovery of the artist’s missing painting, now known to have been cut into four parts and re-used by Magritte as the support for new compositions. Non-destructive analytical and examination methods and specifically macroscopic X-ray fluorescence (MAXRF) scanning and conventional X-ray radiography (XRR) were the two non-destructive analytical and examination methods used to study both compositions and add to the existing knowledge on the artist’s palette during both periods. The first method is capable of identifying the presence and the distribution of key chemical elements present in artists’ materials. In some instances elemental mapping provided useful information on the hidden painting, but conventional X-ray radiography (XRR) enabled a better visualisation of the form and paint application of the underlying composition. Furthermore, the turnover edges of the canvas reveal after over 80 years the artist’s palette directly to the viewer. Additional XRF scanning of this exposed paint has confirmed and added to the existing research published to date of this lost painting, including a proposed colour reconstruction, but at the same time highlighting the need for further analytical research involving both non-destructive point analysis and the use of paint samples

Hortus Medicus Et Philosophicus : In Quo Plurimarum Stirpium Breues Descriptiones, Novae Icones ... continentur / Autore Ioachimo Camerario, Reipub. Norimbrtg, Medico D.

This chapter explores the methods and materials of Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, the painting now in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Comprehensive physical and chemical investigations were performed using a range of non-invasive, in situ techniques combined with sample analysis. The results help to elucidate different stages of the artist’s working process, from making the canvas support, to the first charcoal sketch, the palette used, mixing and application of colour, paint texture and brushwork, as well as a wooden strip extension added late in the painting process. Comparisons are made with Van Gogh’s first painting of Sunflowers against a yellow background, now at the National Gallery in London

Visualization of a Lost Painting by Vincent van Gogh Using Synchrotron Radiation Based X-ray Fluorescence Elemental Mapping

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), one of the founding fathers of modern painting, is best known for his vivid colors, his vibrant painting style, and his short but highly productive career. His productivity is even higher than generally realized, as many of his known paintings cover a previous composition. This is thought to be the case in one-third of his early period paintings. Van Gogh would often reuse the canvas of an abandoned painting and paint a new or modified composition on top. These hidden paintings offer a unique and intimate insight into the genesis of his works. Yet, current museum-based imaging tools are unable to properly visualize many of these hidden images. We present the first-time use of synchrotron radiation based X-ray fluorescence mapping, applied to visualize a woman's head hidden under the work Patch of Grass by Van Gogh. We recorded decimeter-scale, X-ray fluorescence intensity maps, reflecting the distribution of specific elements in the paint layers. In doing so we succeeded in visualizing the hidden face with unprecedented detail. In particular, the distribution of Hg and Sb in the red and light tones, respectively, enabled an approximate color reconstruction of the flesh tones. This reconstruction proved to be the missing link for the comparison of the hidden face with Van Gogh's known paintings. Our approach literally opens up new vistas in the nondestructive study of hidden paint layers, which applies to the oeuvre of Van Gogh in particular and to old master paintings in general