NWO awards three research projects within the call ‘An Integrated Approach to the Scientific Study and Conservation of Art – Tracing change (NICAS)’. The researchers are working in different ways to develop integrated knowledge for better conservation of art objects. In total, the projects will receive more than 1.42 million euros from NWO.
The topics of the awarded projects vary and include a variety of research goals:
- studying oil paintings in Dutch historic interiors with little climate-control, and designing model systems that are very sensitive to climate fluctuations (PREPARE);
- Enhancing the study and preservation of historical paintings using non-invasive, low-dose 3D X-ray imaging (FLEXART);
- (Re)discovering the development and changes of black woollens quality standards in the 18th-century Leiden’s staalmeesters sample books (Black magic).
Understanding manufacturing and change processes
Cultural heritage is an indispensable source of information about societies. It can offer unexpected insights into our history and identity. Art and cultural heritage connect people to the past and to each other. The aim of the call ‘An Integrated Approach to the Scientific Study and Conservation of Art – Tracing change’ is to strive for a full understanding of:
- the creation processes of objects and their original appearance;
- the processes that take place in the objects over time and through which they change, in order to preserve them optimally for future generations.
The call ‘An Integrated Approach to the Scientific Study and Conservation of Art – Tracing change’ falls within the research programme Netherlands Institute for Conservation+Art+Science+ (NICAS). The NICAS research agenda puts the biography of the cultural heritage object central: from the moment it was conceived and made, through its existence, and into the projected future. In this biography, the concept of ‘change’ is of central importance, and that is the main focus of the call.
- PREservation of PAintings in sustainable furuRE (PREPARE)
Material Dynamics, Conservation
Dr J.J. (Joen) Hermans, University of Amsterdam
Like all of us, museums are faced with the need to reduce energy consumption. Widening indoor climate tolerances would have a big impact, but scientific support to do so safely is currently lacking. The PREPARE project addresses this urgent issue by studying oil paintings in Dutch historic interiors with little climate-control, and by designing model systems that are very sensitive to climate fluctuations. This combined approach allows finding the root cause of climate-induced mechanical failure in paintings. Moreover, the project will yield low-tech monitoring protocols for chemical early-warning sign detection and a risk classification of paint materials and climate conditions.
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- Flexible X-ray Laminography for Art (FLEXART)
Diagnostics, Data Science
Prof. Dr K.J. (Joost) Batenburg, Leiden University, Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS)
The FLEXART project aims to enhance the study and preservation of historical paintings using non-invasive, low-dose 3D X-ray imaging. While current methods are unable to resolve paint layers in 3D, the researchers will develop novel X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) methods for analysing paintings’ layered structures. Addressing challenges like the flatness of artworks and minimising radiation damage, the project develops flexible imaging tools and software for diverse painting sizes, collaborating with art historians and conservators. Building on the successful IMPACT4Art project, FLEXART seeks to make advanced imaging techniques accessible in museums, advancing our understanding of masterpieces and aiding their conservation.
- Black Magic – (Re)discovering the development and changes of black woollens quality standards in the 18th-century Leiden’s staalmeesters sample books
Technical Art History, Material Dynamics
Prof. Dr M.R. (Maarten) van Bommel and A. (Anna) Albano Serrano, University of Amsterdam
Museum De Lakenhal holds a unique collection of sample books (1690-1791), with hundreds of black wool samples produced in Leiden. The city followed strict regulations and used several grades to control the quality of its black woollens, which were often meant for export. Yet, the samples for each quality grade vary considerably, suggesting that this control was not as standardised as initially assumed. By studying these books and their wool samples, this project aims to (re-)discover the development and changes of 18th-century Leiden quality-control standards, and establish the city’s role in the globalisation of trade in textiles and textile materials.
(Photo credits: Museum De Lakenhal).
- Flexible X-ray Laminography for Art (FLEXART)