A new “three-legged stool”: Research and educational ventures between the Frans Hals Museum,...

EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN CONSERVATION

ICOM-CC17th Triennial Conference2014 Melbourne

ERICH UFFELMAN*Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryWashington and Lee UniversityLexington VA, [email protected]

LIESBETH ABRAHAMFrans Hals MuseumHaarlem, The [email protected]

JULIA VAN DEN BURGJMB Paintings ConservationAmsterdam, The [email protected]

SAMUEL FLORESCUDepartment of Chemistry and BiochemistryWashington and Lee UniversityLexington VA, [email protected]

RENÉ HOPPENBROUWERSStichting Restauratie Atelier LimburgMaastricht, The [email protected]

FEMKE VAN DER KNAAPBoeijink, Boekel & Van der Knaap Paintings RestorationHaarlem, The [email protected]

JORINDE KOENENFrans Hals MuseumHaarlem, The [email protected]

MIREILLE TE MARVELDEFrans Hals MuseumHaarlem, The [email protected]

HERMAN VAN PUTTENHaarlem, The [email protected]

JESSICA ROEDERSFrans Hals MuseumHaarlem, The [email protected]

KATE SEYMOURStichting Restauratie Atelier LimburgMaastricht, The [email protected]

* Author for correspondence

KEYWORDS: education, paintings, technical art

history, chemistry, three-legged stool, conservation,

science, interdisciplinary collaboration

ABSTRACT

Collaboration between Washington and Lee Uni-

versity (W&L) in the United States and the Frans

A new “three-legged stool”: Research and educational ventures between the Frans Hals Museum, Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg, and Washington and Lee University

INTRODUCTION

Washington and Lee University (W&L) is an American undergraduate liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia that has held courses on the technical examination of 17th-century Dutch painting since 1999 (Uffelman 2007, 2011). In 2005, the W&L program began visiting the Netherlands as part of the coursework, and that initiated collaborations with several Dutch institutions, such as the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem (which possesses an internationally regarded collection of Netherlandish and Dutch Golden Age paintings) and the Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL) in Maastricht (an internationally renowned conservation education center that provides intensive training to young conservators in various areas of cultural heritage preservation). Not coincidentally, much of this work was facilitated by ICOM-CC’s triennial meetings in The Hague (2005), Delhi (2008), and Lisbon (2011). W&L’s acquisition of non-destructive instrumentation via a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant in 2010 enhanced the collaboration between W&L, the Frans Hals Museum, and SRAL. The synergistic interplay between scientists, art historians, conservators, postgraduates, and undergraduates allows for a dynamic collaboration and the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and experience between all of the stakeholders of the three institutions, a new “three-legged stool.” This paper describes the logistics of the interactions, the educational activities and outcomes that are achieved, and the kinds of data that have been collected via this partnership affectionately termed the “Trans-Atlantic Express” by its participants.

LOGISTICS

A significant benefit of the arrangement in the “three-legged stool” of the Frans Hals Museum, SRAL, and W&L is that it leverages tremendous gains from shared resources. In the spring program of 2012, conservators Abraham, te Marvelde, Roeders, and Van Putten gave Uffelman a crash course in their projects involving Cornelis van Haarlem; and Uffelman gave the conservators a corresponding course in the theory and hands-on operation of W&L’s Bruker Tracer III SD portable x-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF) (Figure 1). While Uffelman’s undergraduates, including Florescu, toured several prestigious Dutch museums and institutions, the conservators at the Frans Hals Museum collected data with the pXRF. This

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A NEW “THREE-LEGGED STOOL”: RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL VENTURES BETWEEN THE FRANS HALS MUSEUM, STICHTING RESTAURATIE ATELIER LIMBURG, AND WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY


2 ICOM-CC17th Triennial Conference2014 Melbourne

Hals Museum and Stichting Restauratie Atelier

Limburg (SRAL) in the Netherlands has developed

since 2005. W&L’s acquisition of portable scientific

instrumentation has taken this collaboration to

a higher level, enforcing the principle of George

Stout’s “three-legged stool.” Undergraduates en-

rolled at W&L and Dutch postgraduate trainees

from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) at SRAL

analyze artworks using portable x-ray fluorescence

spectrometry (pXRF), scanning electron microsco-

py/energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), and

digital IR imaging. A dynamic interplay between

conservators, scientists, and students contributes

to knowledge within the conservation field, es-

pecially when W&L undergraduates travel to the

Netherlands or Dutch postgraduates establish data

about ongoing projects. Data from these collabo-

rations are also used in W&L undergraduate courses

and in National Science Foundation (NSF) Chemis-

try in Art workshops, thus leveraging tremendous

educational reach and impact from the research.

was shared and discussed when the undergraduate students visited (Figure 2). Subsequently, the W&L undergraduates participated in a two-day workshop focusing on 17th-century painting techniques at SRAL (Figure 3). While they were being instructed by Hoppenbrouwers and Seymour, Uffelman gave the UvA postgraduate trainees, Koenen, Van den Burg, and Van der Knaap (among others), theoretical and practical pXRF training, and then assisted the trainees in the examination of their paintings. Again, the W&L students moved on to other venues and studies, and this time the pXRF remained at SRAL for further research. In 2013, the collaboration continued, this time without the W&L students.1 This enabled several aspects of the work to be extended and enhanced, as discussed below.

EDUCATIONAL IMPACTS OF THE 2012 WORK

The intensive pre-departure 12-week preparatory course at W&L provides undergraduates with considerable textbook education and some hands-on scientific experience, but lacks direct, in-person experience with Dutch Golden Age paintings and direct contact with Dutch conservators and conservation scientists. The collaboration with the Frans Hals Museum enables the students to see W&L’s portable instrumentation in action in the context of a premier museum collection, with instruction from internationally regarded conservators. The students received a full overview of the ongoing research both in a Frans Hals Museum lecture room and in the conservation studio, where the conservators indicated key areas of interest in paintings and also revealed areas of retouching by showing the students works under ultraviolet (UV) induced visible fluorescence.

Simultaneously, this collaboration benefited the conservators of the Frans Hals Museum, who were instructed intensively by Uffelman about the theory and use of XRF, and provided them with instruments and analysis which are not normally covered within their budget. Useful results from a number of paintings were obtained. In 2012, two militia pieces by Cornelis van Haarlem underwent conservation treatment in the studio of the Frans Hals Museum: Banquet of Members of the Haarlem Calivermen Civic Guard (1583) and Banquet of the Officers and Subalterns of the Calivermens Civic Guard (1599). During treatment of the 1583 militia piece, research was done to understand and evaluate the degradation of paint in two of the costumes. These areas showed a grayish appearance with a vague purplish haze. An intense purple/red color was seen under magnification in areas where the paint had been covered by retouching and therefore protected from light. Cross sections were taken and analyzed by scientist Karin Groen which revealed that in both cases the paint layer consisted of a mixture of smalt and red organic lake. It was clearly visible in these that both the smalt and the red lake had discolored considerably, leading to the conclusion that the color must have originally been an intense purple. Using pXRF made it possible to analyze degraded paint in more areas of this painting and in several comparable parts of the 1599 painting without taking additional paint samples.

The collaboration at SRAL provides undergraduates with hands-on experience with Dutch Golden Age canvas and paint preparation methods, as well as access to close examination of cultural heritage objects with stereomicroscopy,

Figure 1(left to right) Herman van Putten, Liesbeth Abraham, Jessica Roeders, and Mireille te Marvelde analyze pXRF data in real time as it is being collected from a painting in the Frans Hals Museum




infrared reflectography (IRR), and UV-induced visible fluorescence. Additionally, the undergraduates’ interactions with the postgraduate Dutch trainees inspires the W&L students in their own future studies. During the 2012 visit, the stories of several cultural heritage objects were presented to the W&L undergraduates by over a dozen SRAL postgraduate trainees and senior staff members.

Postgraduate trainee Koenen told the undergraduates about an oak panel painting she was treating depicting the Annunciation (106.8 × 80.9 × 0.5 cm), belonging to the former convent of Soeterbeeck (now part of the Radboud University Nijmegen). Even before the conservation and restoration treatment, it was clear that the image of the Annunciation, painted in the 18th century, had been applied on top of an earlier painting. Several elements of this earlier painting had become visible because the transparency of the thinly applied upper paint layers of the Annunciation had increased. The treatment of the panel painting created an excellent opportunity to further investigate the painting underneath the Annunciation. X-radiographs, combined with images obtained using IRR, revealed a more complete image. It appeared to be the portrait of a priest seated in a chair, holding a book in his right hand and resting his other hand on a skull. The inscription, which included the age of the priest, could be read as AETATIS SUAE in the IRR images. To gain more information about the composition of the paint layers, and thus the color palette of the portrait, pXRF analyses were performed. However, the resulting spectra proved difficult to interpret, not only because many of the detected elements could refer to several different pigments, but also because it was virtually impossible to determine with certainty which elements belonged to which of the two phases of painting. This taught the students that besides the numerous possibilities and advantages of pXRF, it has limitations, and often additional analysis, like examining cross sections, is needed; especially in cases like this, when the layer buildup of the painting is rather complex. This case study was also valuable for the W&L undergraduates to observe, because it was a “live” example of paintings underneath paintings – a topic that had been discussed in the prerequisite course at W&L – and because the students could view the different x-radiographs, IRR images, and spectra with the painting.

Van den Burg, another postgraduate trainee, told the W&L students about an oak panel depicting the Adoration of the Magi (95 × 124 × c. 0.5 cm) that she had treated. It was thought to be an early 17th-century panel painting by an unknown artist also belonging to the Soeterbeeck collection. The Adoration painting was based on a 1594 print by Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617) with the same theme. During treatment, questions arose regarding the pigments used for various colors, and, in order to find answers, Van den Burg measured ten points in various locations using pXRF. By using the non-destructive pXRF, more areas could be analyzed than would be possible with cross sections. This meant that variations of pigments used for similar colors could be identified, such as a vermillion for the reds, but a red organic lake for the pinks. The pXRF also helped with the identification of degraded or deteriorated pigments, something which could not be done as easily with cross sections, by identifying the elements that were in the paint layer. This in turn helped gain a better idea

Figure 2Liesbeth Abraham explains to Uffelman (third from left) and his W&L undergraduates the work she has done recently at the Frans Hals Museum

Figure 3Kate Seymour demonstrates sizing a canvas to W&L undergraduates while they attend a two-day workshop at SRAL




of how the painting originally appeared. The readings taken with the pXRF also helped confirm the dating of the painting to the early 17th century. The W&L undergraduates saw several key traditional pigments identified in this painting by pXRF and could then make the connections to the relevant art historical questions surrounding the painting.

EDUCATIONAL IMPACTS OF THE 2013 WORK

The follow-up work to the 2012 collaboration has been robust. In 2013, Uffelman visited SRAL and the Frans Hals Museum to work with new postgraduate trainees, and to extend the work done with the postgraduate trainees from 2012, who in this period were developing their theses. For instance, Koenen’s study of a Maarten van Heemskerck painting (oil on panel, 39.4 × 49.1 × c. 1.0 cm, Frans Hals Museum) (Figure 4) provided an outstanding opportunity to assess her stereomicroscopic observations indicating the presence of orpiment by pXRF (Figure 5). The pXRF spectrum provided unambiguous confirmation of her hypothesis (Figure 6). The positive identification of this pigment was important evidence supporting the attribution of this painting to Van Heemskerck.

Figure 6Resulting spectrum from the pXRF analysis of Isaiah’s brownish collar in the Van Heemskerck painting. The strong peaks for arsenic and sulfur indicate the presence of orpiment, an arsenic sulfide. Curve fitting in the 2.0–2.5 keV range unambiguously showed the sulfur K line with greater intensity than the lead M line, and although the arsenic K alpha line overlaps with one of the lead L lines, the arsenic K beta peak at 11.73 keV is unambiguous because the mercury lines at 11.83 keV are much too weak to interfere with the assignment

During the 2013 visit, Koenen provided cross sections of the Van Heemskerck painting, as did Van der Knaap of the Portrait of Geertruijd Bijlevelt (unknown artist, oil paint on panel, 17th century, 63.5 × 50 × 0.5 cm, Provenhuis Bijlevelt Foundation). W&L undergraduate student Florescu undertook the SEM/EDS map analysis of all of the cross sections (Figure 7), and this work has not only yielded useful results for the conservators, it has also provided W&L with the opportunity to optimize the settings of the SEM/EDS mapping function. The Van Heemskerck cross sections have become part of the focus of a W&L General Chemistry lab on practical applications of quantum mechanics, featuring the pXRF and SEM/EDS

Figure 4The prophet Isaiah predicting the return of the Jews from exile, Maarten van Heemskerck, ca. 1560. After conservation treatment

Figure 5Jorinde Koenen, Erich Uffelman, and Mireille te Marvelde position W&L’s pXRF to acquire spectra from the Van Heemskerck painting




(Figure 8). Thus, these highly engaging cultural heritage stories will now be used to educate hundreds of W&L students in the ensuing years. The impact of the data acquired from the portable non-destructive instruments and from the SEM/EDS analyses has also been multiplied significantly by Uffelman’s using it in the NSF-sponsored Chemistry in Art workshops in the United States (Hill and Simon 2012). In these workshops, faculty from around the US spend a week learning how to teach science in art courses, and then they return to their home institutions and develop classes that reach a multitude of undergraduate students.

OBSERVATIONS

The experiences at the Frans Hals Museum and SRAL (and others) caused the W&L students not only to retain their interest in the class material, but prompted four students to perform subsequent research projects involving cultural heritage materials.

Florescu comments on behalf of the W&L undergraduates:2

I gained first-hand experience with the culture, the history, the landscape, and the materials that encompass a work of art. I learned about the process of taking a sample, and all of the analytical techniques that could be used on it, destructive and non-destructive, from my course work, but I was then able to apply what I had learned to help a conservator gain insight into a painting. The first sample that I ran myself on W&L’s SEM, a paint cross section from the Frans Hals Museum, was one of the most exciting moments in my academic career. However, this was only the beginning of my research, and the experiences I had with the museum professionals better prepared me for research work with several other institutions. Not only did the collaboration between W&L, SRAL, and the Frans Hals Museum enable me come into contact with world-class art and conservation studios, but it allowed me to gain a better appreciation of how academia can interact with other institutions to the benefit of both. In this case education was central to the collaboration.

The instruction provided by the SRAL professionals gave the W&L students a context for conservation of cultural heritage more broadly. Many students commented on how they had never considered how SRAL could be engaged in conservation projects not only in the Netherlands, but all over the world. By the end of the course, students were proud that W&L equipment had been involved in research projects undertaken during their time abroad, and they were able to interpret the pXRF spectra and other data collected with the instruments used in the research conducted in the four weeks they were there.

Van der Knaap comments on behalf of the SRAL postgraduate trainees:

The mutual exchange of knowledge between undergraduates, a chemist from W&L University, and postgraduate trainees at SRAL is indispensable for interpretation of the data collected with SEM/EDS or pXRF. In-depth theory and hands-on experience with a pXRF under professional guidance by Uffelman proved to be of great value

Figure 7(left to right) Sam Florescu and Erich Uffelman use W&L’s SEM/EDS system to analyze paint cross sections taken from Isaiah (Frans Hals Museum) and Portrait of Geertruijd Bijlevelt (Provenhuis Bijlevelt Foundation)

Figure 8W&L laboratory instructors present the SEM/EDS map of a paint cross section from Isaiah (Frans Hals Museum) to a group of General Chemistry students at W&L




for a paintings conservator. Spectra derived from spots or paint cross sections can be interpreted and the conservator becomes acquainted with the possibilities for scientific paint research. After working with the pXRF, the theory we were given throughout our studies came to use, especially the science classes, which I looked at with renewed interest. In my case, the analyses of the cross sections via the “Trans-Atlantic Express” proved to be an enormous help with the determination of the pigments used on the painting treated for my thesis project. During treatment, it became apparent that several of the depicted leaves had a brown appearance. It was presumed that the pigment verdigris could have been used. This presumption proved to be correct, confirmed after interpreting SEM/EDS analyses of the cross section done by Sam Florescu. Because of these results I could give an interesting presentation to faculty members during the defense of my thesis.

Van den Burg adds:

The practical experience gained from using the pXRF under the guidance of Uffelman and in collaboration with the W&L students really helps with understanding the possibilities and limitations of the technique and the ability for interpretation of the results. For myself, other research published in articles is now better understood and interpreted because of the hands-on experience gained.

For the educators Uffelman, Hoppenbrouwers, and Seymour, the collaboration yields multiple positive outcomes. The opportunity to work with an array of the best international talent in the field – young professionals starting their careers through established leaders – presents an unparalleled opportunity to learn. In addition, the collection of paintings at the Frans Hals Museum is of extraordinary quality, as are the works that are frequently treated at SRAL, and this carries great significance for Uffelman’s undergraduates. The opportunity to help educate young postgraduate trainees is both refreshing and stimulating, and all three educators learn a tremendous amount from them. The information exchange observed between the undergraduates and the postgraduate trainees at SRAL reveals the synergism of the program. Furthermore, the “Trans-Atlantic” sharing of samples allows W&L to assist in the research efforts back in the Netherlands with students based in the W&L laboratories and for established professionals to have hands-on time with scientific analytical equipment. There is great satisfaction in being able to give back to the conservation community that so generously donates its time to W&L students, postgraduate trainees, and faculty. Finally, this collaboration builds international friendships of all kinds among the various undergraduate students, postgraduate trainees, and established professionals – a true appreciation of interdisciplinary expertise and joy in the investigation and care of cultural heritage materials.

CONCLUSION

Educating young scientists, art historians, and conservators in topics outside the confines of their program has been key in modern teaching practice for the preservation of cultural heritage. The concept of the “three-legged




stool,” used by George Stout to describe the interdisciplinary collaboration between the sciences, the arts, and the conservation world, has become an adept analogy commonly employed and adapted by many. The projects described here continue this theme of close collaboration between related disciplines leading to results that are greater than their individual merits. W&L University, supported by the NSF, generously provided analytical equipment and proficient scientific knowledge in exchange for teaching time in 17th-century painting practice at both the Frans Hals Museum and SRAL. Undergraduate students were exposed to a depth of knowledge about Dutch Golden Age painting practice and conservation practice, given close access to premier museum collections, and instructed by internationally regarded conservators. Postgraduate trainees and conservators could perform analyses not commonly available at low cost on ongoing projects. Interpreting and explaining results enhanced knowledge of painting practice and the degradation of pigments, and provided in itself an invaluable learning experience for all involved. Conservators at the Frans Hals Museum were able to continue ongoing research into artistic materials, confirming new attributions and increasing the art historical understanding of Dutch Golden Age paintings. The synergistic interplay created at past ICOM-CC triennial meetings has become an established part of the calendar. It is hoped that this “Trans-Atlantic Express” will continue to provide results that can be reported to the conservation field at future meetings.3

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The NSF is gratefully acknowledged for funding W&L’s acquisition of the instruments used for the research and teaching reported in this paper (NSF MRI grants CHE-0959625, EAR-1126360, and CHE-1337481). Some of this work is supported in part by a grant to W&L from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the Precollege and Undergraduate Science Education program. The Teagle Foundation supported aspects of the W&L educational work. W&L University Lenfest funds are gratefully acknowledged for permitting Uffelman’s travel to the Netherlands. Ms. Teresa Soley is thanked for her useful comments.

NOTES

1 W&L has institutional insurance that covers the research equipment during its travels.2 All quotes are taken from undergraduate student and postgraduate trainee logbooks kept

as part of course requirements.3 After this paper was accepted, the collaboration has continued and now also includes

results obtained with W&L’s new fiber optic reflectance spectrometer.

REFERENCES

HILL, P. and D. SIMON. 2012. Developing a community of science and art scholars. In Collaborative endeavors in the chemical analysis of art and cultural heritage materials. ACS Symposium Series 1103, ed. P.L. Lang and R.A. Armitage, 219–229. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society and Oxford University Press.

UFFELMAN, E.S. 2007. Teaching science in art: Technical examination of 17th-century Dutch painting as interdisciplinary coursework for science majors and nonmajors. Journal of Chemical Education 83: 1617–1624.




UFFELMAN, E.S. 2011. The emergence and spread of “Chemistry in Art” undergraduate courses in United States universities. In ICOM-CC 16th Triennial Conference Preprints, Lisbon, Portugal, 19–23 September 2011, ed. J. Bridgland, art. 0312, 8 pp. Almada: Critério Produção Gráfica, Lda.

How to cite this article:

Uffelman, E., L. Abraham, J. van den Burg, S. Florescu, R. Hoppenbrouwers, F. van der Knaap, J. Koenen, M. te Marvelde, H. van Putten, J. Roeders, and K. Seymour. 2014. A new “three-legged stool”: Research and educational ventures between the Frans Hals Museum, Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg, and Washington and Lee University. In ICOM-CC 17th Triennial Conference Preprints, Melbourne, 15–19 September 2014, ed. J. Bridgland, art. 0310, 8 pp. Paris: International Council of Museums.(ISBN 978-92-9012-410-8)

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