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Tobias Wiggins
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June July 2017 From Cowboy to Contemporary

Museum s Treasure Trove of Pigments Prix de

Couse-Sharp Historic Site Enters a New Era

1 June July 2017 From Cowboy to Contemporary Dale Chihuly s Boathouse Studio The Fogg Art Museum s Treasure Trove of Pigments Prix de West: Four Decades of Excellence The Couse-Sharp Historic Site Enters a New Era plus: Collector s Eye: J. Landis Martin Rendering: Rob E. McQuay Architects in Southern Utah Perspective: Nicolai Fechin [ ] in the American West

2 150 WA A The cabinets containing the Forbes Pigment Collection are visible at the top level of the Fogg Art Museum. Photo: Nic Lehoux

The Fogg Art Museum s colorful treasure trove of pigments helps unlock the secrets of the art world Written by Rosemary Carstens elevision today brings us one series after

It can expose forgeries and reveal the fascinating methods of ancient masters and the rare and unusual pigments they used.

Founded in 1928, the Straus Center is the oldest fine arts conservation treatment, research and training facility in the United States.

3 The Fogg Art Museum s colorful treasure trove of pigments helps unlock the secrets of the art world Written by Rosemary Carstens elevision today brings us one series after another featuring forensic scientists solving crimes. But forensic science also plays an important role in solving mysteries in the art world. It can expose forgeries and reveal the fascinating methods of ancient masters and the rare and unusual pigments they used. An art materials repository, the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies is part of Harvard University s Fogg Art Museum. Founded in 1928, the Straus Center is the oldest fine arts conservation treatment, research and training facility in the United States. Its director, Narayan Khandekar, oversees the activities of the center s four labs (paintings, objects, works on paper and analytical) and a staff of scientists, postdoctoral students and artists. He is also the senior conservation scientist in the center s analytical lab and the current caretaker of the center s materials collection, which includes the renowned Forbes Pigment Collection and the Gettens Collection of Binding Media and Varnishes. For any art lover, the center shelters a treasure trove of delights. Sandro Botticelli, The Virgin and Child Tempera on Panel Circa 1490 Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop WA A 151

The pigment collection was founded in the early 20th century by Edward Waldo Forbes, director of the Fogg Art Museum from 1909 to 1944.

4 The pigment collection was founded in the early 20th century by Edward Waldo Forbes, director of the Fogg Art Museum from 1909 to Forbes was fascinated with how specific mediums could provide clues to a painting s authenticity. He was an avid traveler, and by the 1920s, he had gathered pigment samples in a rainbow of colors, a bright array of hues and substances. As awareness of his interest grew, so did donations, and the museum s collection now comprises more than 2,500 samples. Vincent van Gogh Self-Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin Oil on Canvas 1888 Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest from the Collection of Maurice Wertheim, Class of WA A

Today, Khandekar and his team use techniques such as Raman spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, gas

had to grind and mix ingredients, blending them with binding mediums through an intensive

Often these formulas were passed from one craftsman to another and held in secret like a favorite

Photos: Peter Vanderwarker and Jenny Stenger (last image) Lapis Lazuli was used to create

5 Today, Khandekar and his team use techniques such as Raman spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, gas chromatography and electron microscopy to determine the chemical composition of different art materials used throughout history. They take tiny samples from artworks to authenticate mediums, answer historical questions and to verify origins. Recognized and respected worldwide, the Straus Center sends samples to museums and laboratories to help art experts across the globe. In earlier centuries, before distributors provided hundreds of colors in ready-mix tube, artists had to grind and mix ingredients, blending them with binding mediums through an intensive trial-and-error process. Often these formulas were passed from one craftsman to another and held in secret like a favorite family recipe Clockwise from top left: Samples from the Forbes Pigment Collection. Photos: Peter Vanderwarker and Jenny Stenger (last image) Lapis Lazuli was used to create ultramarine pigment found in Botticelli s The Virgin and Child. Harvard Art Museums/Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Forbes Pigment Collection, Straus.542. Narayan Khandekar, senior conservation scientist and director of the Staus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, looks through the materials collection. Photo: Antoinette Hocbo All images, President and Fellows of Harvard College WA A 153

6 for generations. They also engendered lively public speculation. Some ingredients were rare, costly Justin Hess Serenade for those who Sacrifice Oil on Linen 80 x 72 inches often more prized than gold. Each sample in the Straus collection carries with it a history of discovery and required skillful processing. For example, the vivid blue in the Virgin s mantle in Sandro Botticelli s The Virgin and Child (c. 1490) contains ground lapis lazuli, a stone mined in Afghanistan. To use it in a painting demanded that the artist carefully grind the mineral into fine particles. Highly sought in medieval times, Khandekar says this color was and a story about its original era of use. Analyzing them is like searching the limbs of a family tree to establish ancestry. Some of the most unusual pigments include toxic ingredients, rare metals, insect extracts and even human remains. For instance, copper acetoarsenite, a deep, lush green that can be seen in the background of Vincent van Gogh s 154 WA A

Self-Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin (1888), contains arsenic, is very poisonous and was also used at one time as an insecticide.

Considered a status symbol, Byzantine emperors designated it royal purple, and its use was forbidden for anyone outside the imperial court.

In a recent article for National Geographic, Kristin Romey wrote about European artists who used pigments made from the pulverized remains of ancient Egyptians.

7 Self-Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin (1888), contains arsenic, is very poisonous and was also used at one time as an insecticide. Another rare and expensive ingredient, known as Tyrian purple, comes from a secretion of a sea snail. Considered a status symbol, Byzantine emperors designated it royal purple, and its use was forbidden for anyone outside the imperial court. The pigment collection was founded in the early 20th century by Edward Waldo Forbes, director of the Fogg Art Museum from 1909 to In a recent article for National Geographic, Kristin Romey wrote about European artists who used pigments made from the pulverized remains of ancient Egyptians. Hard to imagine, but from approximately the 16th century through the early 1900s Mummy Brown, derived from Egyptian mummies, was prized for its rich, transparent shade, although not all artists may have been aware of its source. Tubes of brown pigment called Mummy are still available today but without the notorious ingredient. But all is not history in the world of paint. In a more modern coup, the Straus Center was able to prove a rediscovered Jackson Pollock painting was a fake. Pigment analysis confirmed that a red used in it, Red 254, was not even manufactured until about 30 years after the artist s death. Some artists working today still revere historic pigment preparation. Justin Hess, an award-winning San Francisco, California, painter trained in the Classical Realist tradition, has built his reputation on a foundation of knowledge and respect for the entire creative process from concept to finished artwork. Hess spent six years studying and working in Florence, Italy, learning how to make his paints and canvases from scratch. He believes these time-proven techniques ensure that the beauty of my craft will stand the test of time and contribute to the reawakening of Classical Realist painting. Processing and combining naturally occurring minerals with just the right medium and mulling them to Hess preferred consistency takes time, but he says the task is as important to the final result as the brushstrokes on his carefully crafted canvases. His luminous Serenade for those who Sacrifice incorporates more than a half-dozen handmade pigments, including the rare lead-tin yellow. Hess offers ongoing classes in his California atelier as well as workshops around the country. He s also the author of Controlling the Creative Process: A Painter s Guide to Methods and Materials, and his paintings are found in private collections in Australia, Europe, Scandinavia and the United States. The Straus Center s collection continues to expand, says Khandekar. We buy about 250 grams of pigments a year, including those presently in use, so that as newer artworks come in for analysis we have a compendium for comparison. Its collection and investigations include an ever-expanding range of mediums. Recently, the center received samples of the natural dyes prominent Zapotec weaver Porfirio Gutiérrez uses in the textiles he and his family have produced for generations in Oaxaca, Mexico. These dyes are derived from regionally gathered plants, minerals and insects. The center s dedication and devotion to uncovering the secrets of the art world help us understand both past and present artistic processes. The journey continues, and we can look forward to even more exciting tales of exotic pigments, deceit revealed and inspiring history as technology advances. This page from left: Mummy Brown was originally made from the remains of ancient Egyptians. Harvard Art Museums/Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, The Forbes Pigment Collection, Straus.17. Samples of Indian Yellow, which was originally made from the urine of cows fed exclusively on mango leaves. Photo: Jenny Stenger. Photos: Harvard Art Museums, President and Fellows of Harvard College WA A 155

Not the Painting. But the Paint. A Study of 15 th Century Paint Materials and Recipes. Presented by the Shire of Sangre del Sol as a Group Project

Not the Painting. But the Paint. A Study of 15 th Century Paint Materials and Recipes. Presented by the Shire of Sangre del Sol as a Group Project Not the Painting, But the Paint A Study of 15 th Century Paint Materials and Recipes Presented by the Shire of Sangre del Sol as a Group Project I The purpose of this project was three-fold: 1) To create