Changed lead pigments

This project focuses on the identification of non-original crystalline compounds within historical paint layers, and on deciphering the chemical pathways of their formation.

About the project

Historical paintings are dynamic systems: multiple chemical reactions, notably involving inorganic pigments, can take place within paint layers and result in the formation of non-original crystalline materials. This can have a strong negative effect on the physical and/or optical integrity of the artwork. Detecting those newly formed materials and understanding the chemistry at stake in their crystallization is crucial to better preserve paintings. This project especially focuses on lead-based pigments, omnipresent in Dutch Golden Age paintings, and their associated degradation products.

Aim of the projects

In this project, structural analysis (x-ray diffraction, measuring the angles and intensities of diffracted x-ray beams) is carried out at the micro-scale in order to detect, quantify and chart the distribution of crystalline compounds that have formed in historical paintings. The use of in a synchrotron – a type of cyclic particle accelerator – allows the probing of micrometric paint stratigraphies of precious samples collected on some of the masterpieces in the Rijksmuseum collection. The obtained results are compared with those from fundamental research performed on model systems in the laboratory, where the conditions and kinetics of the chemical transformations are investigated. Precious clues on the evolution of paintings are thus obtained.

Staff

Victor Gonzalez
Researcher
v.gonzalez@rijksmuseum.nl

Katrien Keune
Head of Science
k.keune@rijksmuseum.nl

Annelies van Loon
Researcher
a.van.loon@rijksmuseum.nl

Fréderique Broers
Researcher
f.broers@rijksmuseum.nl

Petria Noble
Head of Paintings conservation
p.noble@rijksmuseum.nl

Lambert Baij
Researcher (until 10-2020)

Partners and sponsors

Multiple academic collaborations are active in the framework of this project, Antwerp University - AXES Group (Belgium), ESRF Synchrotron (France), CNR-SCITEC (Italy), IRCP Chimie ParisTech (France).

Related projects

3D2P;
Lead Phosphate Compounds in Cultural Heritage: Uses, Origins and Conditions of Formation, in collaboration with the ESRF Synchrotron (France) and the Perugia University (Italy);
Plumbonacrite formation in historical paintings.

Publications

V. Gonzalez, A. Van Loon, S. Price, P. Noble and K. Keune, 'Synchrotron micro-XRD and XRD-CT reveal newly formed lead-sulfur compounds in Old Master paintings', in: Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry (2020) accepted.
V. Gonzalez, M. Cotte, F. Vanmeert, W. De Nolf and K. Janssens, 'X-ray Diffraction Mapping for Cultural Heritage Science: a Review of Experimental Configurations and Applications', in: Chemistry. A European Journal, 26 (8) (2020) 1703-1719.
V. Gonzalez, M. Cotte, G. Wallez, A. van Loon, W. De Nolf, M. Eveno, K. Keune, P. Noble and J. Dik, 'Unraveling the Composition of Rembrandt's Impasto through the Identification of Unusual Plumbonacrite by Multimodal X‐ray Diffraction Analysis', in: Angewandte Chemie. International Edition 58(17) (2019) 5619-5622.
S.W. Price, A. van Loon, K. Keune, A.D. Parsons, C. Murray, A.M. Beale, and F.W. Mosselmans, 'Unravelling the spatial dependency of the complex solid-state chemistry of Pb in a paint micro-sample from Rembrandt's Homer using XRD-CT', in: Chemical Communications 55 (2019) 1931-1934.
S. De Meyer, F. Vanmeert, R. Vertongen, A. van Loon, V. Gonzalez, G. van der Snickt, A. Vandivere and K. Janssens, 'Imaging secondary reaction products at the surface of Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring by means of macroscopic X‑ray powder diffraction scanning', in: Heritage Science 7 (2019) 67-78.