Tracing the artist's intent Combining micro- and macroscopic analysis with art technological sources to study 17th-century paintings

The topic of this thesis is the study of 17th-century Dutch artists’ painting techniques and the impact of material degradation over time on their works. These artists were masters at realistically depicting objects, employing precise methods and layered processes to create surface textures and optical effects. However, paintings are dynamic systems, and over time, the deterioration of materials can alter the artists’ intended effects. Traditionally, the study of paintings has relied on the analysis of paint cross-sections and conventional imaging techniques such as infrared photography and X-radiography.
This thesis focuses on the capabilities of non-invasive imaging techniques—including macroscopic X-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF), macroscopic X-ray powder diffraction (MA-XRPD), and reflectance imaging spectroscopy (RIS)—to investigate painting techniques and pigment degradation. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of integrating these scientific methods with the study of art technological sources, such as painting instructions and recipes, to better contextualize findings and understand the artist’s original intent.
This research provides insights into Jan Davidsz. de Heem’s multi-layered painting techniques, correlated with detailed painting instructions from Willem Beurs’ The Big World Painted Small (1692) and recipes from De Heem himself. It also presents an in-depth study of orpiment degradation in the yellow rose of Abraham Mignon’s Still Life with Flowers and a Watch; the unexpected discovery of arsenic sulfide pigments in Rembrandt’s The Night Watch; and an analysis of how Rembrandt achieved a convincing chiaroscuro in the costume of Willem van Ruytenburch, one of the central and most illuminated figures in The Night Watch.