Using X-ray equipment, a group of scientists from the Netherlands and Germany discovered a previously unknown detail in Rembrandt’s famous painting “The Night Watch”, painted in 1642. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Science Advances (SciAdv).
Experts used X-ray fluorescence to identify chemical compounds in the lower layers of the paint on the Night Watch canvas. Analysis showed that high amounts of lead were present beneath the quartz clay soil. This discovery surprised the team, as lead is not usually found in clay.
Further examination of the picture showed that the lead composition was applied with large semicircular strokes, and in one place there was even a trace of a sieve through which the fabric was drawn during the impregnation process.
According to researchers, lead impregnation had not been observed before by either Rembrandt himself or his contemporaries.
Scientists have noted that the master’s innovation in the choice of material for his paintings may be due to his desire to find a cheaper and less heavy alternative to traditional soil, which had to be laid in two layers.
Another problem was the future placement of a large painting on a damp exterior wall. 17th-century artists knew that lead helped paints become more resistant to moisture. Perhaps this knowledge led Rembrandt to impregnation experiments.
Previously Kandinsky neural network happened Co-author of paintings by Russian artists.