Filmopname (1:23 minuten): Maria Albrecht & Gert van Gerven, over onderzoek naar de laag opbouw van 17e eeuwse schilderijen (in engels)
Project
Three ARCHLAB projects
diverse partners & RCE
Research on gold in 17th century paintings
In the mid-17th century, some painters used gold in their work. An interdisciplinary team of art historians, curators, chemists, physicists, conservators and data scientists aims to bring together a group of paintings to explore this phenomenon in more detail. They will seek to answer art historical questions and arrive at physical-chemical characterisations of the various gilding techniques used, while also studying gold’s optical effects. ARCHLAB is supporting the search for paintings containing gold, on different surfaces (wood, canvas, stone, copper) and made using various techniques (tempera, oil).
Comparative study of artefacts from VOC shipwrecks
The Rooswijk was a ship owned by the Dutch East India Company (VOC). It sank off the coast of Kent in 1740. During excavations in 2017 and 2018, many artefacts were found in the shipwreck: silver coins, glass beads, bottles and barrels, and copper and pewter objects. These artefacts were analysed using scientific techniques (SEM-EDS, XRF, FTIR spectroscopy, XRD) to determine how they were manufactured, investigate their provenance, identify previous repairs and assess their conservation status. Systematic comparison with scientific analyses of similar objects recovered from other VOC shipwrecks is essential for the study. In the Rooswijk project, ARCHLAB makes it possible to compare the material from the ship that has been preserved in the Netherlands to the material in Britain.
Research on Zinc oxide
The PhD project ZOoMM* (Zinc Oxide: Micro to Macro) focuses on a multidimensional study of zinc oxide (ZnO). In the 19th century, this pigment offered an alternative to the toxic lead white that had traditionally been used, until the next white pigment, titanium white, became available in 1920. The use of zinc oxide is being studied in a selection of 19th and 20th century artworks by Van Gogh, Modigliani and other painters. In the process, innovative methods are being developed for characterising reactivity with different binders and pigments over time. This requires extensive analysis of historical materials (such as zinc oxide powders and paint tubes), as well as of paint reconstructions, samples taken from selected artworks and modern commercial materials. ARCHLAB will support this research by providing historical materials for analysis and archival sources for the preparation of mock-ups, such as paint recipes and artists’ notes.
research reports
— Gold in 17th century paintings (pdf)
— Artifacts from VOC shipwrecks (pdf)
— Zinc oxide (pdf)