Authentications & Attributions

de wetering

Who decides if a painting is a Rembrandt?

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The former head of the Rembrandt Research Project, Ernst de Wetering, died on 11th August 2021.

He has been a crucial figure in the authentication arena, and a very powerful connoisseur. As chairman of the RRP from 1990 till the cease of activities in 2011, he contributed to process many Rembrandt’s attributions.

And now many of those may be challenged again, we suspect.

For about 50 years, it was not without the positive consensus of the RRP that a Rembrandt was a Rembrandt, unless it was .personally de Wetering to support or dismiss it.

Let’s see why.

The turning point into attributing Seventeen –Century Dutch and Flemish paintings was the infamous “Van Meegeren Scandal”, in 1945 -when“Christ and His Disciples at Emmaus” widely celebrated as one of Veermeer’s best paintings turned out to be a forgery.

In the trial, scientific analyses proved to be essential in assessing authenticity, while before it, it had been fairly common for well-known experts to state their opinion simply referring to their intuition, or “feeling”, about a painting, will little further explanation.

This was clearly no longer possible, after all the embarrassment caused by having supported a blatant fake.

Therefore, when in the sixties it was decided to produce a new Catalogue Raisonne of Rembrandts works, it was set out to combine traditional connoisseurship with the newest scientific techniques and form a board of expert to assess every single piece.

Dendrochronology proved to be very useful in dating oak panels Rembrandts used for his early work, to detect copies and sometimes also to prove that what had been considered to be a late imitation was made on authentic seventeenth century wood.

X-rays proved to be valuable in reconstructing Rembrandt’s working process, in terms of how he laid out his composition and the order in which he executed the various parts of a painting. Other peculiarities were to be discovered with the other techniques used, like UV photography and IR reflectography, together with chemical analysis of the materials used.

However, it was clear that in spite of usefulness of the various techniques, there could still be uncertainty about authorship, especially when distinguishing the master from talented pupils, having access to the same studio materials and techniques.

In some other cases, the uncertainty also derived from technical analyses that were not complete or of poor quality.

Hence the connoisseurship arbitration.

However, when the RRP concluded its activities, even though approximately one-quarter of Rembrandt’s oeuvre has not yet been investigated, no scholar wanted to assume responsibilities from the RRP’s chair.

What will happen now? Who will decide if a painting is a Rembrandt?

The most recent case where an attribution was proposed without the official blessing of the RPP, is the Portrait of a Young Woman Allentown from the Art Museum in Pennsylvania. It was in the twenties classified by the RRP as a product of Rembrandt’s studio rather than the master himself. In 2020 the experts from the museum claimed a different truth.

Elaine Mehalakes, the Allentown museum’s vice president of curatorial affairs, dared to state that the RRP had no modern technical means. The only technical image on which it relied was an X-radiograph from the late 1920s that, moreover, was taken when the panel was attached to a wooden cradle.

No objections from the RRP, as it did no longer exist, and probably because the signature discovered on the painting was a clear indication of authenticity.

We hope that new attribution/de-attribution will find on the available documents the best ground for reliable data interpretation. But let’s be honest: the race is open.

A good news is that the extensive documentation collected during the RRP is now mostly freely available online via the Rembrand Database project website, supported by several Museum and Art Institutions around the world.

“The Rembrandt database contains an extensive amount of various types of research documents, which are collected from all over the world and made online accessible for further research. This online guide aims to help users of the Rembrandt Database to navigate the bulk of the raw data. It also aims to provide insight into the information and documentation accessible in the database and to show how these research results have formed our image of Rembrandt as an artist”.

Let’s make the best out of it!

(Anna Pelagotti)
(Anna Pelagotti)
duccio

See you in Moscow!

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From 25 June 2021 in Moskow the exhibition "Siena at the dawn of the Renaissance. Painting from the collections of the National Picture Gallery of Siena, from the State Archives of Siena, from other museums in Tuscany and from the Pushkin Museum ", curated by Vittoria Markova and Elena Rossoni, and scheduled until October 3, 2021

The National Picture Gallery of Siena exceptionally transferred some of their masterpieces to Moscow, to allow the Muscovite public to travel through its Golden Age.

Some other important paintings from the National Museum of San Matteo in Pisa and the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art in Arezzo were also added to these works, together with the painted “Biccherne”, from the State Archives of Siena, 

The exhibition will present the Sienese medieval school, recounting its evolution from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century and its exceptional importance in the period immediately preceding the Renaissance.

For the Russian spectator are of particular interest the links with Byzantine painting school, from which Sienese painting originated but soon departed; while it was during this period that the flowering of icon painting in Russia took place, faithful to the Byzantine tradition.

The Pushkin State Fine Art Institute has very important works of Sienese painting of the XIV-XV century too, such as “Crucifixion” by Segni di Bonaventura, two parts of the Sansepolcro di Sassetta polyptych, as well as works by Andrea di Bartolo, Sano di Pietro, Matteo di Giovanni, Guidoccio Cozzarelli, Bernardino Fungai and other Sienese masters.

However, it is mainly to Duccio di Buoninsegna, a contemporary of Giotto and founder of the local artistic school, whose activities have been documented since 1278, that we owe the innovation of the artistic production in Siena. In his works there is still a close link with the art of Byzantium and at the same time there is a different tension, whose elegance will leave an indelible trace in Sienese art.

Sometimes this occurs in details that now seem almost irrelevant to us.

See for example the small panel of the Madonna of the Franciscans, a work probably destined to private devotion.

Note the design of the fabric of the tent supported by the angels.

It was thanks to paintings like this that the Byzantine and Islamic geometric designs were conveyed, showing fabrics initially traded with the south and with Venice, which soon reached all the western power centres.

The stars and crosses motif was depicted in the fabrics painted by many artists, including Giotto and, in fact, Duccio.

The exhibition is part of an extensive twinning program between museums in Russia and Italy, announced by the ministries of culture of both countries for 2021-2022.

If you want to deepen the knowledge of Sienese painting, Art–Test, in collaboration with the Pinacoteca di Siena, has created a database with over 100 paintings, where in addition to the descriptions for each work, there are diagnostic data, such as radiographs, reflectographs, colour analysis. .

All you need for a scientific comparison, an in-depth study and attributions with solid foundations!

Contact us to find out more at info@art-test.com!

(Anna Pelagotti)
(Anna Pelagotti)
maddalena-in-estasi-1606

Magdalene, one and three

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Mary Magdalene, protagonist, in spite of herself, in the very popular book the “Da Vinci Code”, (where it is fictionalized that she was the wife of Christ, and mother of his descendants), has always inspired artists with her “irregularity” as a saint sinner.

The best known “penitent Magdalene”, or “Magdalene in ecstasy”,  is perhaps the one by Caravaggio. Because of the author’s fame, of course, but also because more versions of it have appeared, and critics are debating which one is the original.

These days, a version that emerged in the antiques market some time ago is exhibited in Possagno, after being at the MART in Trento. In 2014 the well known scholar Mina Gregori had authenticated another one, disavowing what for years had been considered the first version, the so-called Maddalena Klein, from the family of collectors who owned it. These two last versions have also been exhibited together to allow for comparisons.

The interest is also accentuated by the fact that the painting is perhaps the last created by the master. In fact, from his biographers we know that on his death during the return trip to Rome, he had with him a “half-length Magdalene”, perhaps still to be completed.

How do we find out which is the original? The question is complex, also because there are many other versions, some copies signed by Louis Finson, the painter who hosted Caravaggio in Naples, but others still to be studied.

Art–Test has investigated a very remarkable version, which has not yet been published.

We only know that the question of the autography of Caravaggio’s paintings and of possible copies or doubles is still open.

It is striking, however, that, when debating about authorship, no reference is made to diagnostic investigations and scientific data to at least narrow the number down.

Of course, the fact that there is an X-ray or a reflectography, rarely both, is not enough. The diagnostic companion should be complete and start from the basics.

For example: has the canvas been dated with C14?

Have the pigments been checked for any anachronisms?

As we have seen, opinions change and are subjective. The scientific data remain. There is still so much to discover. Let’s do it!

(Anna Pelagotti)
(Anna Pelagotti)
IMG-20141124-WA0002

How much is it?

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How not to fall in a trap

A recurring question we are asked is, of course, “How much do your tests cost?” Less often it is asked “what value do these tests have?”

We want to share with you a reflection that for some time we have been discussing during our days at work.

The answer is: “the value of a #diagnostic campaign lies in the ability to answer the questions posed”.

And therefore more than the “cost” of a single #investigation or a complete and complex diagnostic campaign, it is the “value” that should be inquired for.

For example, if the purpose of an analysis is the #authenticity of an #artwork (which is independent of the #attribution and/or wants to give certainty about consistency with a given historical period), this cannot be obtained using the cost of the survey as a choice factor.

The costs of the investigations are linked to a variety of parameters, including the time and equipment required.

We have experienced various types of customers, with some attempts to downgrading our work, and others for whom it seems that the cost measures the value, so they only trust those laboratories who perform diagnostic analyzes at exorbitant prices. But then get burned and come to us.

The survey type to choose is the one that is able to answer the Question you have.

Each artifact is a “unicum” and therefore even if the same question is asked for two or more artworks, it is not always answered by the same analyses.

Conversely, investigations and their correct interpretation can give answers to different questions.

Furthermore, the result of an analysis must always be contextualized.

The documents accompanying an object, whether they are administrative documents or scholar research, previous diagnostic campaigns, expertise, etc. must be objectively evaluated, bearing in mind that, like the #counterfeiting of works of art, the counterfeiting of accompanying documents is not rare either. 

Furthermore, scientific data must be considered reliable only when they are documented throughout their acquisition process and interpreted without preconceptions.

The value of a diagnostic campaign is not in its cost, but in the scientific “sincerity” and in the fairness towards those who commission it.

And now ask how much does it costs, please, and compare our services with those of our competitors, and the value we offer.

We are ready to offer you personalized advice.

(Emanuela Massa)
(Emanuela Massa)
buchakjian4

Never again

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During the explosion in Beirut on 4 August 2020, which caused 207 deaths and approximately 7,000 injuries, and which irreparably destroyed part of the Lebanese capital, the losses to assets were also considerable. Making an inventory of them has also brought to light two paintings until recently without attribution.

The Lebanese art historian Gregory Buckhakjian is convinced that the artworks recovered were created by the hand of Artemisia Gentileschi. And Buckhakjian knows very well the history of the Sursock Palace collection, the building where the paintings were located – and which was heavily damaged during the attack -, as in 1993, he discussed his doctoral thesis at the Sorbonne University, precisely on this topic.

It is known that the works arrived in Lebanon in 1920, with the collecting nucleus of Alfred Sursock, husband of Maria Teresa Serra di Cassano, Neapolitan, daughter of Francesco Serra, seventh Duke of Cassano. The collection consisted of works by various Neapolitan artists of the seventeenth century, such as Luca Giordano and Andrea Vaccaro, but also Matthias Stomer. Artists already known and valued. There were also two paintings of unclear attribution. The hand of the painter was not among the best known.

The idea of them being by Artemisia came to the scholar right during his studies. At the time, he told Hyperallergic magazine, “it was still a student job. When I discussed my thesis, my teachers told me it was very convincing and that I should continue my research and publish it. But I didn’t, because at the time, after I returned to Beirut, I was completely shocked by what was happening in the city and I forgot about Artemisia [the Lebanese civil war had just ended, ed]. My priorities concerned the city, reconstruction, etc. ”.

His studies were shelved until last year, when the two paintings were found among the ruins of the palace. The works are: a Hercules and Onfale, dating back, according to Buckhakjian, to the early thirties of the seventeenth century, and a Penitent Magdalene from around 1640. Making a comparison with other paintings, attributed with certainty to the artist, the historian focused on some details that make Artemisia’s works recognizable, such as drapery, jewels and more, and found many similarities.

Ercole e Onfale by Artemisia Gentileschi, damaged by the explosion

The current attention for these works is also linked to the interest in the artist, linked to that for women painters which has finally seen a strong increase in recent years.

Although, to tell the truth, Artemisia’s name is perhaps mostly known for the gruesome story of her rape and the torture trial that ensued.

A series of events we would never want to hear about again.

The Penitent Magdalene was loaned to the exhibition The Ladies of Art in Milan (Palazzo Reale), the attribution was confirmed by Riccardo Lattuada (specialized in Artemisia Gentileschi). The scholar, Sheila Barker also confirmed the attribution, recognizing the details and traits that distinguish the artist’s hand.

To date, the two paintings are still unpublished: in all probability Buckhakjian will publish some studies on the subject soon.

As the two works will almost certainly undergo a restoration, given the damage suffered during the explosion (La Maddalena exhibited in Palazzo Reale still shows the signs), we hope that a diagnostic campaign will also be carried out, which would help knowledge of the technique of this extraordinary painter who, despite recent glories, is still largely unknown.

And a scientific attribution of these, as of all works, can no longer ignore a comparisons of this type as well.

(Chiara Martine Menchetti)
(Chiara Martine Menchetti)
CC-sequestro-Belgio-reperti-archeologici-pugliesi-1-5

We shall overcome CRIME

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782 archaeological finds, for an estimated value of 11 million euros, all stolen or coming from clandestine excavations, probably Italian, Apulian to be exact, illegally imported and currently in the possession of a collector, have recently been recovered in Belgium.

It was an international operation that involved all the relevant institutions. After an initial technical analysis, carried out onsite by an archaeologist expert, the transfer to Italy of the finds was requested and obtained so that they may be subjected to further in- depth scientific investigations.

It is now well established that the world of organized crime that mortifies our heritage is an increasingly painful scourge, and it is for this reason that specific training, which takes into account all aspects, is one of the weapons to be wielded to protect our history and our heritage.

LOGO CSCWith the aim of training experts dealing with these issues, the Biennial School of Higher Education in Judicial Archeology and Crimes against Cultural Heritage opened on Saturday 28 May 2021, activated by the Center for Criminological Studies (CSC), for the fourth year. consecutive, but for the first time as a two-year school.

Art-Test will be part of the teaching staff. We are entrusted with the theme of “authentication and dating in the field of cultural heritage”. We address this issue not only by illustrating with theory and examples the methodologies and technologies useful for this purpose, but also by giving a broader overview including also the possible obstacles to be taken into account, the time to obtain the results and the costs.

In this way, future experts, in drafting the requests for the investigation of the cases, will be aware not only of which diagnostic investigation to foreseee but also the economic commitment to be faced and the necessary time, which in the case of judicial proceedings are essential information.

The inauguration ceremony saw the faculty, the students and the member of the Italian Superintendeces present. They made themselves available to welcome the students also for training internships, as will Art-Test Firenze, which this time too will try to contribute to the training of new recruits.

(Emanuela Massa)

(Emanuela Massa)
intero

Man or Woman?

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Gender fluid ante litteram

A painting by the genius Leonardo da Vinci unexpectedly provides us with an interesting reflection on the notion of “gender identity“, never as much debated as in recent times. What distinguishes and separates being a woman from being a man? Where is the borderline?

We premise that the panel with the Head of Christ now in the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan is not unanimously accepted as by Leonardo’s hand, despite the undoubted quality of the painting, the presence of a textbook “sfumato” and the convincing comparison of scientific data (to which Art -Test contributed).

However, we are absolutely convinced of this attribution, enraptured by the power of this image and also a by what we are about to tell you.

We carried out the IR reflectography of this panel, to discover the preparatory drawing, and we realized with immense amazement that the preparatory drawing for this image of Christ, depicts a woman.

The face in reflectography has no beard; the hair is less thick, in line with what were the beauty canons of the time, even if in an official portrait a woman would probably have demanded her hair gathered. But Leonardo had already produced the Scapigliata.

The shoulders are small and round, like those considered desirable by the canons of beauty of the time.

But above all, the folds of her dress widen for the unmistakable presence of a female breast.

The multilayer images show how the artist had modified these characteristics with a few brush strokes to change the folds of the garment, and make them become vertical, to raise the shoulder line and to add beard and lengthen the hair.

A few touches, no changes to the very intense gaze, and a woman becomes a man. The symbols of the trinity are added and here is the head of a Christ. Who is born a woman, metaphorically.

A very strong message, a secret that had to remain so until the analyses literally brought it back to light.

Who if not Leonardo could dare so much?

PS. If you want to see more, reflectographic images have been published in Leonardo in France (SKIRA), and in “Leonardo Da Vinci and Gian Giacomo Caprotti Called Salai’ : The Enigma of a Painting”, by Maurizio Zecchini, ed. Marsilio

(Anna Pelagotti)
(Anna Pelagotti)
Caravaggesco_Empoli_vis del fotografo mano

An original without copies or Caravaggio’s zigzag

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Spunti diagnostici di riflessione sull'attribuzione

From how they all got on the bandwagon (“I discovered it!” “No, I discovered it first!“) there would seem to be no doubts that the painting at auction in Madrid is the real “Ecce Homo” made by Caravaggio as result of a competition between painters arranged by Monsignor Massimi, as documented in old biographies. About the painting that had been indicated so far as the Massimi’s painting, now in Genoa, many are quick to say that after all no one had ever believed in it, it is clearly not by “him”. Sic transeat gloria mundi.

As diagnosticians, it is of course super interesting for us to go and see why this attribution is so eagerly, and almost unanimously, supported. A fate that did not touch the many other “Caravaggio” that have been proclaimed (even by the same who are pronouncing now) and disowned over the years.

Much has been written about the difference between originals and copies by Caravaggio. As on the possibility that Caravaggio produced “doubles”.

And here we notice the first anomaly, perhaps only temporary. Of all the Caravaggio, or presumed such, that we have investigated, there were always copies. Generally very similar versions, on which to make comparisons on technique and materials used. Also of the “Ecce Homo” Genoese version. Actually we probably know only copies of some of Caravaggio’s inventions.

Mario Minniti – Malta

No other versions of this painting appear to have emerged. Although it is true that the canvas had been in Spain for almost four centuries, and it has the very same subject as a painting documented to have arrived in Madrid in 1659, it seems anomalous that no one has made copies. Among similar composition that come to mind, there is a painting in Malta, with a similar subject, by Mario Minniti.

There are several versions, one of which in Vienna, attributed to Minniti too, of another “Ecce Homo” with an analogous composition, considered by some to be Caravaggesque, but of which the three protagonists do not resemble those of the Madrid canvas.

We diagnosticians would have loved to have been able to make comparisons with a copy or a version.

But the most interesting contribution for us was the commentary by Rossella Vodret, who, together with others, edited two volumes full of observations on the Lombard painter’s technique for Silvana Editoriale.

We quote from an interview on the subject: “Then there are further observations relating to the executive technique, made visible thanks to an HD photo that was sent to me. I am referring to a series of specific executive features of Caravaggio, such as the full-bodied zig-zag white lead sketches that the artist uses mainly starting from 1605 and which are found in various works, such as the San Girolamo Borghese, the San Girolamo di Montserrat, the Flagellation of Capodimonte. They are very particular sketches through which the painter fixes the points in which to position the highlights on the dark preparation of the canvas. It is a feature that, up to now, I have not found in other painters. In the “Ecce Homo” there are zigzag sketches on the chest, shoulder and arm of Christ, all in full light. The incisions are also typical, although we now know that all the artists of the period made the incisions, but these are perfectly compatible with those found on Caravaggio’s autographed paintings “.

We would like to give some news: we have not found them on many Caravaggio that we have investigated, but the famous zigzags traces can also be found in the “San Giovannino” in Empoli, which we studied (unfortunately the allocated budget did not allow a complete diagnostic campaign). We talked about it in the essay we wrote on the occasion of the presentation of the restoration intervention, and in the video that you can see (in Italian) on our YouTube channel.

We look forward to learning more. Hoping that it doesn’t disappear into thin air.

(Anna Pelagotti)
(Anna Pelagotti)
tombaroli-3

You always have to be a step ahead of the tomb rider

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Sono aperte le iscrizioni alla Scuola di Archeologia Giudiziaria

Unfortunately, the world of archaeological heritage is increasingly subjugated by criminal practices. The mind immediately goes to the infamous “grave robbers” who have plundered and still plunder our soil and our seas in search of antiquities.

But this practice has also been documented, for example, to the detriment of the Medici tombs.

The portraits of the Medici family, especially those of women, display their splendid jewels, with which they were often buried. As early as 1857, the director of the State Archives and Grand Ducal Antiques Dealer, Luigi Passerini Orsini de’Rilli, in charge of the Reconnaissance of the bodies of the Grand Dukes, found that many of these had been desecrated and deprived of the precious objects they contained.

How to defend yourself?

Archaeology, and art in general, need more and more competent professionals.

The fight against criminal activities in this sector passes through the institutions set up by the States, with the help of professional, who operate in the judicial and extra-judicial sphere, with adequate and complete academic preparation.

In this context  that the Centre for Criminological Studies – Cultural Heritage Area – Judicial Archaeology Department in collaboration with the Archeomafie International Observatory, is programming a BIENNALE SCHOOL OF HIGHER EDUCATION on  “JUDICIAL ARCHEOLOGY AND CRIME AGAINST CULTURAL HERITAGE“, where Art-Test’s experts will teach.

The school is aimed at graduates in archaeology, history of art, architecture, conservation of cultural heritage, restoration and other disciplines in the legal and humanistic sectors.

For those interested here is the link: https://bit.ly/3mWTV6x

 

(Emanuela Massa)

(Emanuela Massa)

copertina modigliani

Modigliani under Investigation

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Life, death, his fortune, the inheritance he left, the history of the “Archives”, fakes, foundations, exhibitions.

Already in January we discussed the innovative exposition that the Museum of Lille created for Amedeo Modigliani. An exhibition with an investigative approach. But, given the pandemic we are in, it was not possible to open it, and also the related Symposium did not take place.

But the scrutiny of the Labronian painter and his work, does not stop. “L’affare Modigliani” published by Chiarelettere is a book rich of information, all supported by references to sources. It tackles all the hot topics, including fakes and the role of foundations. Three hundred pages where the story is organized into “crime scenes“. where each topic is treated with scientific rigor.

Our favourite chapter is of course the one where Modigliani’s technique is illustrated through material analysis. Of course, we would have liked it to be even more detailed but we realize that a substantial appendix would have been necessary.

If you haven’t read it yet, waiting for the French exhibition, Art-Test recommends it.

(Emanuela Massa)
(Emanuela Massa)

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