Complex Relationships: A Materials Study of Édouard Vuillard’s Interior, Mother and Sister of the Artist

Édouard Vuillard (1868–1949) is well known for his small atmospheric paintings, often portraying his own home and family as the subject matter. Interior, Mother and Sister of the Artist (1893) underwent at least one restoration treatment before being acquired by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 1934. The painting was treated again in 1954, but no analysis was carried out to understand the artist’s methods and materials at that time. To better understand the choices of Vuillard in Interior, Mother and Sister of the Artist, a comprehensive suite of imaging and spectroscopic analyses was undertaken, including: XRR, UVF and IRR Photography, XRF, Raman spectroscopy and SERS, and µ-FTIR. Statistical analysis on the XRF data using MCR-ALS further revealed some of the intricacies of Vuillard’s technique and color choices, where a large number of pigments were used in designing this intimate composition, including lead white, zinc white, bone black, ochre, umber, vermilion, Geranium lake, red lead, ultramarine, Prussian blue, chrome yellow, chrome orange, zinc yellow, strontium yellow, cadmium yellow, and a chromium oxide green.

The examination of Van Gogh’s chrome yellow pigments in ‘Field with Irises near Arles’ using quantitative SEM–WDX

In this paper we present the results of quantitative measurements on the pigment chrome yellow (PbCr1−xSxO4 with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.8) using scanning electron microscopy-wavelength dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM–WDX). Traditionally, Optical Microscopy (OM) in combination with scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM–EDX) is used for the identification of many pigments in paint cross-sections based on their particle characteristics and elemental composition. However, in the case of chrome yellow, the lead (Pb) and sulphur (S) peaks overlap, which makes quantitative analysis unreliable. SEM–WDX does not suffer from this problem and we have demonstrated that this technique can distinguish different types of chrome yellow based on the quantification of the sulphur-content of the pigment. This identification can be performed on paint cross-sections, allowing for distinction between chrome yellows in different paint layers. In addition, our study showed that the different types of chrome yellow can still be identified even in low concentrations. Van Gogh made wide use of different hues of chrome yellow. Using this method, we have identified the types of chrome yellow he used in Field with Irises near Arles, which we have been able to correlate with the information in his letters. Raman spectroscopy of the same samples confirmed the SEM–WDX results, but evidenced a higher sensitivity of the latter technique in revealing small amounts of sulphur-rich PbCr1−xSxO4 in mixtures with PbCrO4. SEM–WDX is also more accurate, because it allows the lead(II) sulphate fraction to be determined within 1 mol% absolute, whereas with Raman spectroscopy only relatively broad ranges can be defined. The on-going research of Van Gogh’s paintings as part of a cataloguing project—a collaboration between the Van Gogh Museum, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands and Shell—opens the way for a comprehensive comparison of the chrome yellows used by Van Gogh using SEM–WDX.

Village from Muscel by Ion Marinescu Valsan State of Conservation and the Chromatic Palette

Ion Marinescu V�lsan (1865 - 1936) was a Romanian painter belonging to the modern Romanian art from the beginning of the 20th century. Many of the paintings painted by him have picturesque landscapes in his native town, Malureni, Arges County. He was influencedby Nicolae Grigorescu. Village from Muscel painting, by Ion Marinescu V�lsan, was examined by several non-invasive techniques (Vis, UV &grazing light examination, IR reflectography, optical microscopy and X-rays fluorescence spectrometry) to obtain information on its chromatic palette and state of conservation. Zinc white, Lead white, Prussian blue, Cinnabar, Chrome yellow, Yellow ochre, Red ochre, Viridian and Burnt umber were used as the pigments, while the preparation layer is from Chalk, Zinc white, Lead white, identified by XRF analysis.

Investigation of the Cross-Section Stratifications of Icons Using Micro-Raman and Micro-Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy

The cross-section stratifications of samples, which were removed from six icons, are studied using optical microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and micro-Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The icons, dated from the 14th to 19th centuries, are prominent examples of Byzantine painting art and are attributed to different artistic workshops of ​​northern Greece. The following materials are identified in the cross-sections of the icon samples using micro-Raman spectroscopy: anhydrite; calcite; carbon black; chrome yellow; cinnabar; gypsum; lead white; minium; orpiment; Prussian blue; red ochre; yellow ochre; and a paint of organic origin which can be either indigo ( Indigofera tinctoria L. and others) or woad ( Isatis tinctoria L.). The same samples are investigated using micro-FT-IR which leads to the following identifications: calcite; calcium oxalates; chrome yellow; gypsum; kaolinite; lead carboxylates; lead sulfate (or quartz); lead white; oil; protein; Prussian blue; saponified oil; shellac; silica; and tree resin. The study of the cross-sections of the icon samples reveals the combinations of the aforementioned inorganic and organic materials. Although the icons span over a long period of six centuries, the same stratification comprising gypsum ground layer, paint layers prepared by modified “egg tempera” techniques (proteinaceous materials mixed with oil and resins), and varnish layer is revealed in the investigated samples. Moreover, the presence of three layers of varnishes, one at the top and other two as intermediate layers, in the cross-section analysis of a sample from Virgin and Child provide evidence of later interventions.

A little key to oxalate formation in oil paints: protective patina or chemical reactor?

A novel degradation mechanism for 19th c. chrome yellow oil paints is proposed based on the oil photodegradation induced and calcium oxalate formation. It was proved by synchrotron radiation using artificially aged pigment reconstructions.