Art of the Past

This volume explores the study of historical art techniques through reconstruction and the analysis of written, visual, and material sources. Covering artworks from ancient Mesopotamia to contemporary art, it examines paintings, sculpture, graphic works, glass, and early plastics. Topics include the interpretation of artists’ intent, material degradation, ageing processes, and challenges in reading historical texts. Highlighting the synergy between scientific analysis, historical research, and reconstruction, the book offers insights into workshop practices, materials, and evolving art-making traditions across centuries.

Recipe books, treatises and manuals on artists’ materials, tools and methods are of fundamental importance for an understanding of how art objects were made. Historically accurate reconstructions on the basis of these sources provide insight into the original appearance of an object, as well as workshop practices, and provide models for understanding material degradation. The interpretation of artists’ intent rests on this kind of basic knowledge. It could be said that the three pillars of the study of historical art techniques are scientific analysis, research into historic sources and reconstruction. This volume contains papers that address the art of the past through reconstruction and studies of historic sources – either written (recipes, handbooks, workshop notes and letters) visual (designs, studio interiors, depictions of tools and working methods) or material by analysis of artefacts themselves, and by examination of surviving tools and unused materials in their making. Objects examined include paintings (panel and canvas, icons and miniatures); polychrome sculpture; graphic documents and book illustration; glass and composite objects including early plastics and costume. The arena is Europe with the exception of forays into ancient Mesopotamia and colonial Latin America. The period ranges from c. 1700 BC to mediaeval, Renaissance, Baroque, through the 18th and 19th centuries to the early 20th century and forward to contemporary art. Topics covered include studies of ageing processes; difficulties in interpreting old texts; material as well as virtual reconstructions; the use of databases to increase the accesibility and use of source material; and the importance of selecting representative recipes from historical sources. Proceedings of the first symposium of the Art Technological Source Research study group: Approaching the Art of the Past: Sources & Reconstructions.

ForewordAcknowledgementsStyle and technique are inseperable: art technological sources and reconstructionsAd StijnmanThe Cologne database for painting materials and reconstructionDoris OltroggeInterpreting historical sources on painting materials and techniques: the myth of 'copper resinate' and the reconstruction of indigo oil paintsMargriet H. van Eikema HommesIs gold and ingredient in Assyrian-Mesopotamian written recipes for red glass?Mark ClarkeReflections on sources and reconstructionsLorne CampbellReading technical sourcesArie WallertMunich Taxae project: the Kolberg inventory list of 1589Andreas Burmester, Ursula Haller and Christoph KrekelPage-image recipe databases: a new approach to making art technological manuscripts and rare printed sources accessibleMark Clarke and Leslie CarlyleHistorically accurate reconstructions of artist's oil painting materialsLeslie Carlyle and Maartje WitloxCobalt blue, emerald green and rose madder in copal-based mediums as used by the Pre-RaphaelitesJoyce Townsend, Jacqueline Ridge and Leslie CarlyleThe reconstruction of late 19th-century French red lake pigmentsJo KirbyThe Whistler correspondence as a source of information on Whistler's studio practiceErma Hermens and Margaret F. MacDonaldRepresenting authentic surfaces for oil paintings: experiments with 18th- and 19th-century varnish recipesLeslie CarlyleSixteenth-century portrait miniatures: key methodologies for a holistic approachAlan Derbyshire, Nick Frayling and Timea TallianReconstruction of Albrecht Durer's drawing machineAurelie Nicolaus and William WhitneyA mediaeval colorant in the 17th century: turnsoleArie WallertSources and preparatory drawing in post-Byzantine iconography(15th-19th century): reproducing the reverse imprint technique of transferring praparatory drawingEkaterina Talarou-Ganitis and Vaios GanitisRembrandt and burnt plate oil: new observations and proposals on Rembrandt 's painting mediumSarah Belchetz-Swenson and Phoebe Dent WeilIntrigues and trade in painting materials in 18th-century HavanaCarlos Venegas Fornias and Alberto de TagleImitating ultramarine: artist's economies reconstructedSally Woodcock and Libby SheldonBlue smalt lacquers on silver leaf: Baroque and Rococo polychromy in southern GermanyMark RichterThree-dimensional virtual restoration: techniques and case studyAngela GearyReconstructions of iron-gall ink recipes for the InkCor projectAd StijmanCompatibility of contemporary pigments in mixturesElzbieta Szmit-NaudPainted skin: reconstruction of recipes for flesh colours in artists' manualsKathrin KinseherWhen glass is made of plastic: restoration of the model of the Pavillon Saint-Gobain for the International Exhibition of 1937Olivier Beringuer,

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Style and technique are inseperable: art technological sources and reconstructions

Ad Stijnman

The Cologne database for painting materials and reconstruction

Doris Oltrogge

Interpreting historical sources on painting materials and techniques: the myth of 'copper resinate' and the reconstruction of indigo oil paints

Margriet H. van Eikema Hommes

Is gold and ingredient in Assyrian-Mesopotamian written recipes for red glass?

Mark Clarke

Reflections on sources and reconstructions

Lorne Campbell

Reading technical sources

Arie Wallert

Munich Taxae project: the Kolberg inventory list of 1589

Andreas Burmester, Ursula Haller and Christoph Krekel

Page-image recipe databases: a new approach to making art technological manuscripts and rare printed sources accessible

Mark Clarke and Leslie Carlyle

Historically accurate reconstructions of artist's oil painting materials

Leslie Carlyle and Maartje Witlox

Cobalt blue, emerald green and rose madder in copal-based mediums as used by the Pre-Raphaelites

Joyce Townsend, Jacqueline Ridge and Leslie Carlyle

The reconstruction of late 19th-century French red lake pigments

Jo Kirby

The Whistler correspondence as a source of information on Whistler's studio practice

Erma Hermens and Margaret F. MacDonald

Representing authentic surfaces for oil paintings: experiments with 18th- and 19th-century varnish recipes

Leslie Carlyle

Sixteenth-century portrait miniatures: key methodologies for a holistic approach

Alan Derbyshire, Nick Frayling and Timea Tallian

Reconstruction of Albrecht Durer's drawing machine

Aurélie Nicolaus and William Whitney

A mediaeval colorant in the 17th century: turnsole

Arie Wallert

Sources and preparatory drawing in post-Byzantine iconography(15th-19th century): reproducing the reverse imprint technique of transferring praparatory drawing

Ekaterina Talarou-Ganitis and Vaios Ganitis

Rembrandt and burnt plate oil: new observations and proposals on Rembrandt 's painting medium

Sarah Belchetz-Swenson and Phoebe Dent Weil

Intrigues and trade in painting materials in 18th-century Havana

Carlos Venegas Fornias and Alberto de Tagle

Imitating ultramarine: artist's economies reconstructed

Sally Woodcock and Libby Sheldon

Blue smalt lacquers on silver leaf: Baroque and Rococo polychromy in southern Germany

Mark Richter

Three-dimensional virtual restoration: techniques and case study

Angela Geary

Reconstructions of iron-gall ink recipes for the InkCor project

Ad Stijman

Compatibility of contemporary pigments in mixtures

Elzbieta Szmit-Naud

Painted skin: reconstruction of recipes for flesh colours in artists' manuals

Kathrin Kinseher

When glass is made of plastic: restoration of the model of the Pavillon Saint-Gobain for the International Exhibition of 1937

Olivier Béringuer

• Edited by Mark Clarke
• Edited by Joyce H. Townsend
• Edited by Ad Stijnman