Use of Infrared Imaging in Contemporary Source Studies

The paper gives a brief overview of infrared (IR) imaging techniques and the cases of their applying to the study of ancient manuscripts and objects of cultural heritage. The method of IR reflectography is used in fine art research, which allows the visualization of details hidden by the paint layers with the help of a scanner. There are also the cases, when IR reflectography is implemented into papyrology with the purpose to make ancient papyri, that turned dark-brown, more legible. Thermography is also used both in studies of cultural heritage and written documents, such as research of bookbinding and supports. Multispectral analysis is a well-proven method of text visualization and digital restoration of ancient manuscripts, which usually is applied in palimpsest decipher. Then the paper considers the method that includes part of IR spectrum is hyperspectral analysis. It is also used in papyrology. Finally, the author observed method of near-infrared imaging (NIRI) and its use for different purposes of the source studies. The paper concludes by arguing the relevance of near-infrared analysis of paper-based historical documents as a key-element of source study. NIRI allows researchers to obtain digital copies of watermarks and investigate corrections of the text made with different inks. The paper provides reader with the technical recommendations on basic NIRI equipment. To sum up, the author declares that there is a possibility for NIRI to become an everyday routine practice for researchers in near future due to its ability to provide a basic analysis of paper, watermarks and ink.

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.

The Letters patent of Peter I to court counselor Savva Raguzinsky for faithful and diligent service, 1710. Part 1. Pre-restoration research and dismantling

Для выявления технологических особенностей Жалованной грамоты Петра I были проведены оптико-физические (ИК-рефлектография, микроскопическое исследование с последующей фотофиксацией), а также комплексные физико-химические исследования проб основы, красочных слоев, связующих. Использованы методы микроскопии в отраженном свете, микрохимии, ретгенофлюоресцентного анализа, ИК Фурье спектроскопии, морфологического анализа для определения материалов по волокну. На основании полученных данных была разработана реставрационная программа. На первом этапе выполнен демонтаж грамоты, включающий отделение тканевой обложки со шнурами и печатью от пергаментных листов с текстом. In order to identify the technological features of the Letters patent by Peter I, optical-physical (IR reflectography, microscopic examination and subsequent photo-recording), as well as complex physical and chemical studies of samples of the base, colorful layers, binders were carried out. The methods included microscopy in reflected light, microchemistry, x-ray fluorescence analysis, IR-Fourier spectroscopy, morphological determination of the materials of the certificate and the cover of the fiber. Based on the data obtained, a restoration program was developed. At the first stage of the conservation, the dismantling of the certificate was carried out, including the separation of the fabric cover with cords from parchment sheets with text.

8. Infrared Reflectography of Edward Hopper’s High Noon: Questions of Authentication

An unprovenanced oil study, purportedly by the early American realist Edward Hopper (188* -1967), was purchased in 2007 on eBay by a pair of brothers from Ontario. It is a smaller, poorly-executed near-copy of Hopper’s High Noon at the Dayton Art Institute. Given that detailed diary entries by Hopper’s wife, Josephine, note only that four charcoal sketches preceded the final version of High Noon, and fail to mention an oil study, Gail Levin, the author of Hopper’s catalogue raisonné, has conservatively concluded that it can at best be assigned to a dedicated follower. Can Infrared Reflectography of the two paintings shed light on the question of authenticity? Many pigments used by Hopper become transparent in the Near Infrared spectrum, a fact verified by a test-panel. By using a DSLR camera, converted to detect IR, charcoal sketches on the primed canvas of the original were revealed. While IR Reflectography reveals earlier stages in the composition of the authentic High Noon, stages suggested by the charcoal sketches, IR does not provide positive proof for the authenticity of the oil sketch. The issue of authenticity became further complicated when the media, led by the Globe and Mail, took up the case of the owners and overstated the IR results. At present the IR investigation suggests only that the oil study was painted by a follower working from either Josephine’s diary or, more intriguingly, from Hopper’s own sketches, which are held in a private collection.

An Infrared Examination of Edward Hopper’s High Noon

An unprovenanced oil study, purportedly by the early American realist Edward Hopper (188* -1967), was purchased in 2007 on eBay by a pair of brothers from Ontario. It is a smaller, poorly-executed near-copy of Hopper’s High Noon at the Dayton Art Institute. Given that detailed diary entries by Hopper’s wife, Josephine, note only that four charcoal sketches preceded the final version of High Noon, and fail to mention an oil study, Gail Levin, the author of Hopper’s catalogue raisonné, has conservatively concluded that it can at best be assigned to a dedicated follower. Can Infrared Reflectography of the two paintings shed light on the question of authenticity? Many pigments used by Hopper become transparent in the Near Infrared spectrum, a fact verified by a test-panel. By using a DSLR camera, converted to detect IR, charcoal sketches on the primed canvas of the original were revealed. While IR Reflectography reveals earlier stages in the composition of the authentic High Noon, stages suggested by the charcoal sketches, IR does not provide positive proof for the authenticity of the oil sketch. The issue of authenticity became further complicated when the media, led by the Globe and Mail, took up the case of the owners and overstated the IR results. At present the IR investigation suggests only that the oil study was painted by a follower working from either Josephine’s diary or, more intriguingly, from Hopper’s own sketches, which are held in a private collection.

Research on the Chromatic Palette of a Modern Romanian Painter

The paper focuses on two works of art, Chrysanthemums and Roses, painted by Stefan Luchian, a representative painter for the modern Romanian art from the beginning of the 20th century. The two paintings were analyzed by several non-invasive techniques (optical microscopy, grazing light and UV examination, IR reflectography, XRF and Raman spectrometry) in order to get information concerning the chromatic and to assess the state of conservation. The study is focused in particular on yellow, red and white pigments, which are different in the two pictorial compositions: in Chrysanthemums the predominant pigments are Madder lake, cadmium yellow and zinc white mixed with lead white, while in Roses cinnabar, strontium yellow and lead white were found, according to the XRF and Raman analysis.

Subsurface imaging for panel paintings inspection: A comparative study of the ultraviolet, the visible, the infrared and the terahertz spectra

Infrared (IR) reflectography has been used for many years for the detection of underdrawings on panel paintings. Advances in the fields of IR sensors and optics have impelled the wide spread use of IR reflectography by several recognized Art Museums and specialized laboratories around the World. The transparency or opacity of a painting is the result of a complex combination of the optical properties of the painting pigments and the underdrawing material, as well as the type of illumination source and the sensor characteristics. For this reason, recent researches have been directed towards the study of multispectral approaches that could provide simultaneous and complementary information of an artwork. The present work relies on non−simultaneous multispectral inspection using a set of detectors covering from the ultraviolet to the terahertz spectra. It is observed that underdrawings contrast increases with wavelength up to 1700 nm and, then, gradually decreases. In addition, it is shown that IR thermography, i.e., temperature maps or thermograms, could be used simultaneously as an alternative technique for the detection of underdrawings besides the detection of subsurface defects.