So this post is not on windowing. So I lied. Still working on it though.
Pat and I met up with Julien at the CRRMF yesterday. This center is located on the grounds of the Louvre Museum. Here researchers study paintings using a myriad of techniques ranging from the fields of Optics, Chemistry, Biology, to et cetera for the conservation, preservation, and study of artwork. They can tell you the time in which a particular piece was made, where it came from, what materials make it up, what particular crystallographic structural the elements used have, what modifications have been done, what to look out for, and based upon this figure out a way to best preserve it.
It was nice to see such a facility filled with a lot of researchers (young and old, male and female) working in this place with the resources that they had. Their work is important for not only the study of the artwork, learning about the artist's method, figuring out what medium was used, but also for world history, and preservation of our cultural heritage.
Some of the techniques Julien explained to us:
A toute a l'heure mes amis!
Pat and I met up with Julien at the CRRMF yesterday. This center is located on the grounds of the Louvre Museum. Here researchers study paintings using a myriad of techniques ranging from the fields of Optics, Chemistry, Biology, to et cetera for the conservation, preservation, and study of artwork. They can tell you the time in which a particular piece was made, where it came from, what materials make it up, what particular crystallographic structural the elements used have, what modifications have been done, what to look out for, and based upon this figure out a way to best preserve it.
It was nice to see such a facility filled with a lot of researchers (young and old, male and female) working in this place with the resources that they had. Their work is important for not only the study of the artwork, learning about the artist's method, figuring out what medium was used, but also for world history, and preservation of our cultural heritage.
Some of the techniques Julien explained to us:
- X-ray tomography - In this room there was an X-ray machine and swiveling platform sculptures can be placed on. This allows for the creation of a 3D view inside the object.
- Fluorescence Setup- Helps to distinguish metals in particular.
- Photography using different frequency light - This was probably my favorite room. It was filled with large light filaments. Here they can take a painting (a very large one at that) and take pictures. Visible: Record the paintings current visible state. IR: Reveals the under-drawings and original painting, which can be subject to change due to religious or political reasons. UV: Shows what modifications were done, reveals defects and other things not available through the visible. Parallel incidence: The surface profile (edges of wooden panels, cracks) of the painting can be viewed.
- Raman - I'm sure it's used spectroscopically.
- Particle Accelerator- This is particularly used to very accurately determine the elemental composition of a sample. This revealed that the origin of the Babylonian statue of Ishtar's ruby eyes and navel, a stone not found commonly found in that area, was most likely either Burma or Vietnam.
- X-ray diffraction - Is used to determine the crystallographic structure of a sample (e.g. diamond).
- Microtopography - Is a method in which the defects of a lens, chromatic aberrations, are used to determine the surface profile of an object.
- SEM - Scanning electron microscope shoots electrons of a particular energy at a sample and looks at the back scattering and secondary electrons to produce an image. One thing I didn't know about the SEM is that it can also give you information on composition. Just make sure you have an idea of what you are looking for.
A toute a l'heure mes amis!
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