We are pleased to announce a new, online edition of the NICAS colloquium on Thursday 28 January 2021 from 12.00 to 13.00 hrs. The colloquium will take place online through Microsoft Teams.
Throughout the year, NICAS organises a bi-weekly Colloquium consisting of two short research lectures. It provides researchers with the opportunity to present ideas for, updates on or results of their activities. The NICAS Colloquium allows people to stay informed on a regular basis about the latest developments and results of research and to exchange information and expertise.
The chair of this colloquium will be Chun Liu (Rijksmuseum)
The presenters are:
► Fréderique Broers – Correlative 3D Micro X-ray Fluorescence and Ptychographic Tomography on Rembrandt’s Night Watch
Abstract:
In this study, correlative 3D micro x-ray fluorescence and ptychographic tomography are used for the first time on cultural heritage micro samples. Now, the internal structure and porosity of the ground and paints of Rembrandt’s Night Watch can be studied on a nanometric scale. By correlating the internal structure to the elemental distribution, the original materials are better understood but we also gain insights into the formation and migration of degradation products and the effects of previous restoration treatments. This information is crucial for the design of the treatment plan of the current restoration and conservation plan of the Night Watch.
Bio:
Fréderique Broers is a PhD student in the NICAS project “3D understanding of degradation products in paintings” (3D2P). This project is a collaboration between the Rijksmuseum, University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University and University of Antwerp. The research project has a focus on the degradation of arsenic and lead based pigments. Fréderique obtained her bachelor and master’s in chemistry at Utrecht University, including an internship at the CNR-ISTM research group in Perugia. The first two years of her PhD the focus was on studying the degradation of arsenic sulfide pigments with a variety of synchrotron-based techniques. The remaining two years the focus will be on the understanding and visualization of this and other degradation reaction mechanisms in 3D using combined micro synchrotron-based techniques.
► Lisa Wiersma – Scientific painting? Methodological considerations about making reconstructions.
Abstract:
Reconstructing art works, e.g. paintings, details of paintings, and paint samples, has become an accustomed part of research in our field. For conservation and restoration the importance of making samples is evident for testing pigments, fillers etc. and their behaviour. For both C&R and art historical research it is useful to understand the purpose and effects of ground layers, paint composition and paint’s effects, as recent and ongoing research has studied and visualized so beautifully. My PhD assignment is to study material depiction, moving the research interest to painterly aspects of the upper layers. For technical research that is a problem: while painting choices are made and it is hard to standardize or measure, let alone account for, all steps. For this NICAS research presentation I will explore what we gain from this type of reconstruction research and to what extent it can be made measurable.
Bio:
Lisa Wiersma is an artist and art historian, and is currently doing her PhD research in the NICAS project “Recipes and Realities, An analysis of texture rendering in still-life painting and the pictorial procedures of Willem Beurs” (Utrecht University, Delft University of Technology).