The Chemical Analysis of a Painting with Unknown Origins
Date
2023-05-01
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Honors Program, The University of Tampa
Abstract
In the spring of 2021, a painting signed and dated “Picasso 1905” was submitted to the University of Tampa for the purpose of investigating the
provenance, material composition, and potential attribution of the artwork in question. In collaboration with art historians, an extensive review of
the historical and chemical literature on Picasso’s works was done to determine the common pigments, binders, and canvases in use by the
artist in the early 1900s. Method development was conducted using known standards and pigments which were digested and run on the ICPOES.
These results were compared to various pieces extracted from the painting in question which appeared to indicate anachronistic
materials. A handheld XRF, IR camera, and UV light source were used as a noninvasive way to collect more data on the elements present
within the pigments and the artwork. The information obtained from these experiments was used in conjunction with stylistic analyses to make
suggestions for the next steps of analysis.
Description
Recommended citation: Braun, Clarissandra. “The Chemical Analysis of a Painting with Unknown Origins.” Honors Program, The University of Tampa, 2023. https://doi.org/10.48497/XRPF-VS05.
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Keywords
Painting, Picasso, Forensics
Citation
Braun, Clarissandra. “The Chemical Analysis of a Painting with Unknown Origins.” Honors Program, The University of Tampa, 2023. https://doi.org/10.48497/XRPF-VS05.