Article: Analysis of painting materials (2010)

Title: Analysis of painting materials on multimodal microscopic level
Author: Barbara Zitová, Miroslav Beneš, J. Hradilová, David Hradil
Reference: Proceedings of SPIE IS&T/SPIE Electronic Imaging 2010, D. G. Stork, J. Coddington, A. Bentkowska-Kafel (eds.), IS&T/SPIE Electronic Imaging 2010, San Jose, USA
DOI: 17.01.2010–21.01.2010
Link: http://library.utia.cas.cz/... (pdf, 932 Kb)

Abstract:

Our paper introduces a system based on digital image processing algorithms designed to facilitate analysis of painting materials during artwork conservation. Microscopic images of minute samples - cross sections – from the artworks are scanned using visible and ultraviolet spectra and under scanning electron microscope. Firstly, the scans are registered to remove geometrical differences. The multimodal nature of the problem led to the application of mutual information. The image quality is maximized by means of blind deconvolution methods. Cross-sections are then segmented to individual layers and distinctive seeds. For the image retrieval part, which facilitates further analyses and conclusions, the layers are represented by means of wavelet analysis and second order statistics. The library of such features can be connected to the time of creation and differences between vectors of the same materials but from different paintings can help during a painter authentication.

Article: image processing in medieval mosaic (2004)

Title: An application of image processing in the medieval mosaic conservation
Author: Barbara Zitová, Jan Flusser, and Filip Šroubek
Reference: Pattern Analysis and Applications vol.7, 1 (2004), p. 18-25 (2004)
DOI: 10.1007/s10044-003-0200-3
Link: http://library.utia.cas.cz/... (pdf, 927 Kb)

Alternative:
An application of image processing for the conservation of the medieval mosaic, IEEE 2002 International Conference in Image Processing, Rochester, New York, September 22-25, 2002, vol.3, pp. 993 - 996, DOI: 10.1109/ICIP.2002.1039142
(pdf, 951 Kb)

Abstract:

We present an application of digital image processing techniques in medieval mosaic conservation. The reconstructed art piece was The Last Judgment mosaic, situated on the wall of the St. Vitus cathedral in Prague, in the Czech Republic. The historical photograph of the mosaic from the 19th century was compared with the photograph of the current state in order to detect mutual differences. The images were firstly pre-processed to increase their quality (noise reduction, deblurring). In the second stage, geometrical differences between images were removed by means of image registration techniques — mutual information and feature point correspondence. Finally, differences of the current and historical photographs were identified.

Thesis: Painters' supports and studio practices (2009)

Title: Technical Art History: Painters' supports and studio practices of Rembrandt, Dou and Vermeer
Author:Jørgen Wadum
University: University of Amsterdam
Year: 2009
Pages: 237
Type of document: thesis
Link: http://dare.uva.nl/... (pdf)

Table of contents:

Introduction : discoursing artworks : the multiple faces of conservation documentation

Part I. Supports and their making, meaning and protection
The winter room at Rosenborg Castle : a unique survival of Antwerp mass-production
The Antwerp brand on paintings on panels
Historical overview of panel-making techniques in the northern countries
Microclimate boxes for panel paintings
Peeter Stas : an Antwerp coppersmith and his marks
Antwerp copper plates

Part II. Studio practices of Vermeer, Rembrandt and Dou
Dou doesn't paint, oh no, he juggles with his brush : Gerrit Dou, a Rembrandtesque 'fijnschilder'
Rembrandt under the skin : the Mauritshuis portrait of Rembrandt with gorget in retrospect
Vermeer in perspective
Contours of Vermeer

Part III. Bibliography

Thesis: sculpture and sculptors in the Academie Royale de Peinture (2008)

Title: The human figure as method : study, sculpture and sculptors in the Academie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture (1725-1765)
Author: A.T. Macsotay Bunt
University: University of Amsterdam
Year: 2008
Pages: 573
Type of document: Thesis
Link: http://dare.uva.nl/... (pdf)

From the Introduction:

This dissertation deals with the study activities pursued by a series of French sculptors as apart of their training and admission in to the Academie royale de peinture et de sculpture (1648–1793) between 1725 and 1765. It is at the same time an art historical account and a cultural history, concerned with the long-term impact of the Academic movement in France and the transformation of sculpture in its wake. Such a transformation is understood, above all, culturally. It is not my intention to show changing styles of sculpture, or to present the reader with a narrative of innovation. Instead, I will allow the traces of a reconfiguration, on a cultural level, of the way sculpture was made and the way that the persona of the sculptor was defined. I will propose that these cultural stakes are pivotal to the understanding that one must ring, for art historical purposes, to the artistic etude, both as a notion and as a specific group of works, in the eighteenth century.

Table of Contents (short version):

1. Introduction

Part I. Academic sculptors
2. The practice of study: Nicolas Vleughels and the sculptors of the Académie de France in Rome (1724-1737)
3. The age of rehearsals: study and the notion of the academic
4. Rules for sculptors’ presentations and the function of freestanding figures
5. Carving and the demarcation of the academic sculptor

Part II. Academic sculptures
6. Mouvement : Falconet’s Milon and Adam’s Prométhée
7. Repos, Contraste : Bouchardon’s Christ, Saly’s Faune and Pigalle’s Mercure

Part III. Coda
The reception of Edmé Bouchardon as a discussion on methods and learning

Thesis: Laser Cleaning of Metal Artifacts (2006)

Title: Laser Cleaning as a Conservation Technique for Corroded Metal Artifacts
Author: Yang Sook Koh
University: Luleå University of Technology
Year: 2006
Pages: 114
ISSN: 1402-1544
Type of document: Thesis
Link: http://epubl.luth.se/... (pdf, 4.5 Mb)

Abstract:

Preservation of cultural property for the future is one of the most important activities of our society. The information which we can gather from such materials is a valuable key to understanding the past. Conservation is a process which includes a range of different treatments. Cleaning is one of the critical steps of the conservation process and involves stabilizing the material and the exposure of hidden details on the surface of the artifact in question. As the artifacts are often fragile and irreplaceable it is very important to choose suitable techniques and methods to avoid damage. Research is still continuing to develop new or improved techniques. One of these new techniques is laser cleaning which has shown good potential as a cleaning tool in many material categories in conservation work.

Table of Contents (short version):

1. Introduction
2. The ethics of 'Laser cleaning as a conservation technique for corroded metal artifacts'
3. (Paper A) Cleaning of corroded iron artifacts using pulsed TEA CO2- and Nd:YAG-lasers
4. (Paper B) The removal of layers of corrosion from steel surfaces: A comparison of laser methods and mechanical techniques
5. (Paper C) Removal of adhesives and coatings from iron artifacts using TEA CO2- and Nd:YAG-lasers
6. (Paper D) Experimental study on the effect of wavelength in the laser cleaning of silver threads
7. (Paper E) Cleaning oxides from copper artifacts using a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser