Analytical Chemistry for the Study of Paintings and the Detection of Forgeries

Forgeries present a daunting problem to art historians, museums, galleries and curators who face challenges in determining the authenticity of paintings. Recent progress in science has led to the development of new methods for investigating works of art, and can provide new insights into the materials found in paintings. The rise in the value of paintings together with the knowledge and skills of forgers highlights the need to develop reliable scientific procedures to identify fakes. Given the complexity of materials in paintings and the convergence of various disciplines, a methodological approach for nvestigations of paintings is based on art historical, curatorial, aesthetic, technical and scientific evaluation.

In this book sophisticated digital and analytical techniques are reviewed for the identification of materials (pigments, binders, varnishes, adhesives) and the physical characteristics of paintings such as brushstrokes, craquelure and canvas weaves.

This book presents an updated overview of both non-invasive and micro-invasive techniques that enable the material characterization of paintings. The materials constituting a painting are reviewed, as are ways that changes in materials over time can provide insights into chronology and physical history. State-of the art digital metods including multi and hyper-spectral imaging and computational approaches to data treatment will be presented. Analytical techniques developed and optimized to characterize binders, varnishes, and pigments are reviewed, focusing on materials which can provide information on ageing or provenance. Case studies of applications of synchrotron-based methods and the analysis of paintings are given, as are chapters devoted to legal aspects related to authenticity.

Chapter 1 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

About the Author:

Prof. Maria Perla Colombini is a Full Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry of the University of Pisa, and was the Director of the Institute for Conservation and Valorization of Cultural Heritage of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) between 2013-2017. She was the Director of the Summer School of Heritage Science at Pisa University and the Director of the Interdepartmental Center of Science for Cultural Heritage of Pisa University. A recognized authority in the field of Chemistry of Cultural Heritage, she is called as an expert for consulting and as a member of committees for the protection of important works of art. She is the principal investigator of several national and international research projects for the safeguarding of Cultural Heritage. She teaches in the courses of Analytical Chemistry and of Chemistry for Cultural Heritage. Her research has resulted in over 350 publications in refereed journals and books, and in over 400 lectures at national and international congresses.

Dr. Ilaria Degano is an Associate Professor and lecturer at the Department of Chemistry of the Università di Pisa in the Chemical Sciences for Cultural Heritage research group. She teaches fundamental and advanced laboratory courses of instrumental Analytical Chemistry. Her research is focused on the comprehension of ageing processes of the studied materials and their identification in from textiles, painting and archaeological materials, employing advanced instrumental techniques based on chromatography and mass spectrometry. She also focuses on the development of HPLC-MS based techniques to the study of other organic materials present in art objects and archaeological findings, such as resins, waxes, lipids and restoration materials. She cooperates with institutions and research groups in Italian and foreign Universities, research and conservation centers, as demonstrated by her publications list, including more than 100 publications on scientific international journals, contribution to books and national Italian journals.

Dr. Austin Nevin is the Head of the Department of Conservation at The Courtauld Institute of Art, London. He trained as a conservator and conservation scientist and has taught previously at the University of Gothenburg, and the Accademia di Brera in Milan, where he was also a Researcher at the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and the Department of Physics at the Politecnico di Milano, and at the Foundation for Research and Technology (IESL-FORTH) in Greece. He is the Vice President of the International Institute for the Conservation of Artistic and Historic Works (IIC), and editor of Studies in Conservation, and Heritage. Following a degree in Chemistry from the University of Oxford, Austin obtained his MA in the Conservation of Wall Painting and his PhD at The Courtauld. With an extensive publication record, his research has focused on conservation and analysis of paintings, ancient and modern art - from Chinese wall paintings to the analysis of red pigments from Leonardo´s Last Supper.