Analysis
Technical Analysis & Imaging
Beneath every painting’s surface is evidence — of how it was made, what it has endured, and what earlier hands have done to it. Technical examination reads that evidence.
Technical examination informs our own treatment decisions, and it can support scholars, owners, and appraisers investigating a painting’s history.
What examination can reveal
- Ultraviolet examination distinguishes original paint from later restoration and shows the condition and age of varnish layers.
- Infrared photography, performed in the studio, can reveal underdrawing and changes beneath the visible paint.
- Raking light maps the topography of the surface — cupping, distortions, weave emphasis, and earlier structural interventions.
- Magnification reads brushwork, pigment character, craquelure, and layer structure at the scale the artist worked.
- Where a question warrants deeper study, we arrange X-radiography and laboratory analysis through specialist partners, and interpret the results in the context of the painting’s construction and condition.
A word on attribution
Technical findings can strengthen or complicate an attribution, but attribution itself is the work of art historians and connoisseurs. We report what the physical evidence shows; we do not authenticate. Our findings are regularly used alongside archival and stylistic research by those who do.
Can you tell me if my painting is authentic?
Not by ourselves — no responsible conservator can. What we can do is document the physical evidence: materials and construction consistent (or inconsistent) with a period, hidden changes, earlier restorations. That evidence often becomes part of an attribution case assembled by qualified researchers.
What does ultraviolet examination show?
Materials fluoresce differently under UV. Aged varnish glows with a characteristic haze; recent retouching typically appears dark against it. It is the fastest way to see how much of a painting’s surface is original and how much is restoration.
Do I need technical analysis before buying a painting?
For significant purchases it is inexpensive insurance. A pre-purchase examination with UV documentation regularly reveals restoration that is invisible in a sale room — information that belongs in the price.
Curious what is beneath the surface? Examination starts with a conversation about the question you’re trying to answer.
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