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Art Connoisseurship and Conservation Research Applications

Museum curators, art historians and conservators frequently use a variety of traditional scientific techniques such as X-radiography, infrared photography and ultraviolet fluorescence photography for connoisseurship and conservation research examinations on museum collections.

In combination with a variety of computer graphics applications, 3D imaging of works of art offers a significant new analytical tool to curators, historians and conservators, which provides some new and unique types of information which otherwise is not obtainable using traditional techniques.   The high-resolution 3D image data contain a wealth of information that can be used for modeling, display, comparison, measurement and analysis applications.  

The high-resolution 3D image data contain a wealth of information that can be used for modeling, display, comparison, measurement and analysis applications.    For example, curators and historians can zoom in and interactively examine small features such as signatures and tool marks or details on larger objects that can be difficult to study on the actual objects. Art conservators can monitor and measure crack pattern formations on paintings and changes to corrosion formations on sculpture.  The following are some examples.

For paintings with varnished surfaces, a unique feature of the shape data captured by the High Resolution Color Scanner is that it originates from the immediate surface of the paint layer, under the varnish, rather than from the varnish surface. This results in a detailed high-resolution recording of the surface relief or 3D structure of the paint layer from brush stroke details as well as crack pattern formations due to aging.  No other technique captures this type of information.  As a result, the artificial shading feature as well as contrast enhancement techniques in the graphics package can be used to zoom in and interactively examine features such as the artist’s signature (Figure 1), brush stroke details or crack pattern formations.

Figure 1: Signatures and monograms on paintings
(a) Detail of a shaded monochrome range image of the signature area on a Corot painting with artificial shading directed from top. Note the surface relief of the signature from the brush stroke as well as brush stroke patterns. (b) Detail of a monogram and date (RHL:1629) on a wooden panel painting attributed to Rembrandt.  As shown by the dark image (top), the monogram and date are barely visible to the eye on the painting.  The monochrome range image (bottom) shows details of the monogram and date plus the tree ring structure of the wooden panel. The monogram and date are clearly visible in the center image, which has been produced using color contrast enhancement techniques. These features offer new techniques to curators and art historians for studying artist’s signature as well as their unique bush stroke details. The lower plot shows the surface relief from the tree ring structure and can be used for dendrochronology studies.
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The graphic applications also provide some unique measurement and monitoring techniques for conservation applications. For example, Figure 2a illustrates the measurement of the length of a canvas tear in a painting while Figure 2b illustrates the measurement of the depth profile of the weathered middle toe on Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria dell’ Academia in Florence.

Figure 2: Measurement and comparison features for art conservation
In addition to display features, measurement and comparison features are an important graphics application of the software for art conservation applications.  For example, in (a) the length of the canvas tear between the black dots in a section of a painting measures 31.47 mm. (b) illustrates the measurement of the depth profile of the weathered middle toe (black line) on Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria dell’ Academia in Florence.  Measurements such as these can be repeated at different points of time to monitor ongoing changes to features on works of art such as crack formations, changes to corrosion patterns as well as expansion and contraction due to temperature and humidity changes.
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Another important application is that computer graphics software can be used to generate unique views of objects that can be used for both research and museum display applications. Figure 3 illustrates a flattened or "roll-out" image painted on a Mayan vase prepared for the exhibition People of the Jaguar at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The sequence of images depicting a dancing snake-man tells a story about death and the Underworld around the circumference of the vase. "Rolling-out" the images like this not only facilitates study and comparison with similar images, it can be used for text panels in an exhibition to explain the story, as well as in publications.

Figure 3: Flattened or “roll-out” photographs of images
The software can also be used to produce flattened or "roll-out" photographs of images such as rituals, myths, geometric motifs, and hieroglyphs painted on vases for study. This feature was used to prepare images of a suite of vases for the exhibition People of the Jaguar at the Canadian Museum of Civilization as well as for the publication Mystery of the Maya. Image (a) shows the High Resolution Color Scanner digitizing a cylindrical scan on a Mayan vase. The flattened or "roll-out" image of the painting on the vase is shown in (b). The sequence of images depicting a dancing snake-man tells a story about death and the Underworld around the circumference of the vase.
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For more information see Taylor et al, 2003. NRC 3D Imaging Technology for Museum and Heritage Applications, NRC 46586.