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Papers by Alexandra R Gent
Transcending Boundaries: Integrated Approaches to Conservation. ICOM-CC 19th Triennial Conference Preprints, Beijing, 17–21 May 2021, 2021
Sir Joshua Reynolds's paintings tend to crack, wrinkle and discolour due to his experimental comb... more Sir Joshua Reynolds's paintings tend to crack, wrinkle and discolour due to his experimental combinations of binding media and complicated layering of paint. To investigate the former without the complication of the latter, paint splashes found in Reynolds's personal pocket books-diaries covering the period 1755-1790 (Royal Academy, London)-were analysed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. These splashes of painting materials offer unique analytical advantages: they have neither layer structure nor contamination with later materials. Furthermore, their presence on diary pages allows an approximate dating and they can be presumed to have come from Reynolds's own palette. The 13 samples analysed contained either oil with minor amounts of pine resin, oil with major amounts of resin (copaiba balsam or mastic) or beeswax with pine resin. These paint splashes can be related to paintings made by Reynolds at similar dates and help establish some patterns of use.
Painting Techniques History Materials and Studio Practice, 2016
Alexandra Gent with contributions from Lucy Davis; 'Reynolds as Restorer: Prince Balthasar Carlos... more Alexandra Gent with contributions from Lucy Davis; 'Reynolds as Restorer: Prince Balthasar Carlos in Black and Silver' in A. Wallert (ed) Painting Techniques History Materials and Studio Practice; Amsterdam: Rijksmuseum, 2016.
The paintings of Sir Joshua Reynolds have often suffered because of his experimental use of materials and can present challenges to conservator when considering treatment. However, Reynolds himself was sometimes involved in the restoration of paintings. His pupil James Northcote recalls seeing a whole-length portrait by Velazquez that had been restored by Reynolds:
...I entered his painting-room one day, and saw this picture, he said to me, 'See there is a fine picture by Velasquez'. I looked at it and greatly admired it, and with much simplicity said, 'Indeed it is very fine, and how exactly it is in your own manner, Sir Joshua?' yet it never entered into my mind that he had touched upon it, which was really the fact, and particularly in the face.'
A painting described as 'Valasques, Baltazar, Infanto of Spain' was included in the 1795 sale of Reynolds's paintings after his death and is presumed to be that mentioned by Northcote. It is thought that this picture is the portrait of Prince Balthasar Carlos in Black and Silver, now in the Wallace Collection. Until recently, apart from a partial X-ray image, no technical analysis of the painting had been undertaken.
This paper will discuss the recent technical analysis of the portrait undertaken as part of the Reynolds Research Project, how the results relate to Velazquez's painting technique, what can be revealed about the restoration of the painting and how this compares with the analysis of Reynolds's materials.
This paper discusses the technical analysis of the painting Peter Darnell Muilman, Charles Crokat... more This paper discusses the technical analysis of the painting Peter Darnell Muilman, Charles Crokatt and William Keable in a Landscape c.1750, by Thomas Gainsborough. It forms part of a publication offering a multi-disciplinary discussion of Gainsborough’s early triple portrait, this project considers the painting as a depiction of polite and refined society, as a reflection of the growing wealth of a global mercantile elite, and as a ‘painting within a painting’ by an artist as renowned for his landscapes as he was his portraiture. http://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/in-focus/muilman-crokatt-keable-thomas-gainsborough/the-painting/painting-the-picture
This essay explores the development of Joshua Reynolds's painting technique, drawing on the techn... more This essay explores the development of Joshua Reynolds's painting technique, drawing on the technical analysis of his paintings in the Wallace Collection carried out during the Reynolds Research Project. It highlights the influence of the Old Masters on his manipulation of paint, contrasting his approaches to those of his British predecessors and comparing his technique to those of his contemporaries.
Technical catalogue entries for the paintings by Joshua Reynolds in the National Gallery and the ... more Technical catalogue entries for the paintings by Joshua Reynolds in the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection, including X-ray and infrafred images of the paintings and analyses of the paint structures and materials.
This essay provides an overview of Joshua Reynolds's painting technique drawing on the technical ... more This essay provides an overview of Joshua Reynolds's painting technique drawing on the technical analysis of his paintings from the collections of the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection. It examines the supports, preparatory layers, mediums, pigments and varnishes used by Reynolds as well as his painting technique, including his use of assistants and drapery painters.
Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792) is notorious for experimenting with his painting materials and for th... more Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792) is notorious for experimenting with his painting materials and for the resultant paint defects, such as cracking and fading, which have arisen in his paintings. Many of the problems with his technique are associated with the rate of drying of his paint layers and can be related to his use of additives in his oil paint and his adoption of alternative paint media, such as resins and wax. This paper focuses in particular on Reynolds’s use of copaiba balsam. The entries in his ‘technical notes’, where he records using copaiba balsam, are examined. In addition we report the findings of technical analysis of his paintings that relate to the identification of copaiba balsam, carried out at the National Gallery, London, during the Wallace Collection Reynolds Research Project. The use of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the detection of copaiba balsam, and the limitations of this technique when examining complex paint mixtures, is discussed.
MediaWiki, a free, open source software package that allows collaborative web-based presentation ... more MediaWiki, a free, open source software package that allows collaborative web-based presentation and discussion of digital information, has been used to explore the practical day-to-day requirements of digital documentation within the National Gallery, London. This work has enabled conservators, scientists and curators to start digitally documenting their work straight away, capturing the information and procedures they already used, while allowing them to influence and steer the development of the system as they worked. The structure of the documentation continued to evolve in a collaborative, transparent way, speeding up processes and removing restrictions whilst responding to the practical needs of the users. The procedures, processes and software are described with examples, including the work carried out on the Reynolds Research Project in collaboration with the Wallace Collection.
The Strawberry Girl is one of the best-known paintings of Reynolds’s oeuvre. Two versions surviv... more The Strawberry Girl is one of the best-known paintings of Reynolds’s oeuvre. Two versions survive: in the collection
at Bowood House in Wiltshire and the Wallace Collection in London. Technical analysis of The Age of Innocence at Tate revealed that this painting covers another version of the Strawberry Girl. The process of copying paintings was a well-known practice in Reynolds’s studio. Technical analysis has shown that the copies often employ much simpler techniques than paintings by Reynolds’s own hand. However there is documentary evidence that Reynolds sometimes worked simultaneously on more than one version of the same subject and The Strawberry Girl may be an example of this practice. This paper discusses the technical analysis of The Strawberry Girl in the Wallace Collection and the version hidden beneath The Age of Innocence. It also examines the two versions of this painting and how they relate to the development of this image.
The technical complexity of Reynolds’s works is well known to inspire trepidation on the part of ... more The technical complexity of Reynolds’s works is well known to inspire trepidation on the part of the conservator. Now a major research project aims at better understanding the artists’ painting technique. Alexandra Gent and Rachel Morrison describe some of their preliminary findings.
Books by Alexandra R Gent
Changes in colour may completely alter the way we see a painting. From blue leaves in a still lif... more Changes in colour may completely alter the way we see a painting. From blue leaves in a still life, to the blue walls in Van Gogh’s bedroom, our perception of a painting can be informed by an understanding of these changes. When conserving paintings our comprehension of these alterations can influence the way we display and restore them. The papers in this volume were presented at the ICON paintings Group conference 'Appearance and Reality: Examining Colour Change in Paintings' with the aim of providing an overview of colour change in paintings, from the work of the old masters to modern and contemporary painters. They also address the aesthetic considerations related to these changes when approaching conservation treatments and how understanding these variations can influence the restoration and presentation of paintings.
Adhesives and consolidants used in the conservation of paintings (e.g. for lining, the laying dow... more Adhesives and consolidants used in the conservation of paintings (e.g. for lining, the laying down of paint flakes, the application of temporary facings etc, can have very varying properties at the time they are applied. Over time, and under differing conditions, some materials can present concerns for the conservator including brittleness, yellowing and discolouration and difficulty in removal.
The papers in this volume, presented at an ICON paintings group conference at the National Portrait Gallery, London, confront some of the problems encountered including: the practical application of materials; reversibility and long –term performance; the properties required of an adhesive and the properties of some of the materials commonly used as consolidants / adhesives.
Transcending Boundaries: Integrated Approaches to Conservation. ICOM-CC 19th Triennial Conference Preprints, Beijing, 17–21 May 2021, 2021
Sir Joshua Reynolds's paintings tend to crack, wrinkle and discolour due to his experimental comb... more Sir Joshua Reynolds's paintings tend to crack, wrinkle and discolour due to his experimental combinations of binding media and complicated layering of paint. To investigate the former without the complication of the latter, paint splashes found in Reynolds's personal pocket books-diaries covering the period 1755-1790 (Royal Academy, London)-were analysed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. These splashes of painting materials offer unique analytical advantages: they have neither layer structure nor contamination with later materials. Furthermore, their presence on diary pages allows an approximate dating and they can be presumed to have come from Reynolds's own palette. The 13 samples analysed contained either oil with minor amounts of pine resin, oil with major amounts of resin (copaiba balsam or mastic) or beeswax with pine resin. These paint splashes can be related to paintings made by Reynolds at similar dates and help establish some patterns of use.
Painting Techniques History Materials and Studio Practice, 2016
Alexandra Gent with contributions from Lucy Davis; 'Reynolds as Restorer: Prince Balthasar Carlos... more Alexandra Gent with contributions from Lucy Davis; 'Reynolds as Restorer: Prince Balthasar Carlos in Black and Silver' in A. Wallert (ed) Painting Techniques History Materials and Studio Practice; Amsterdam: Rijksmuseum, 2016.
The paintings of Sir Joshua Reynolds have often suffered because of his experimental use of materials and can present challenges to conservator when considering treatment. However, Reynolds himself was sometimes involved in the restoration of paintings. His pupil James Northcote recalls seeing a whole-length portrait by Velazquez that had been restored by Reynolds:
...I entered his painting-room one day, and saw this picture, he said to me, 'See there is a fine picture by Velasquez'. I looked at it and greatly admired it, and with much simplicity said, 'Indeed it is very fine, and how exactly it is in your own manner, Sir Joshua?' yet it never entered into my mind that he had touched upon it, which was really the fact, and particularly in the face.'
A painting described as 'Valasques, Baltazar, Infanto of Spain' was included in the 1795 sale of Reynolds's paintings after his death and is presumed to be that mentioned by Northcote. It is thought that this picture is the portrait of Prince Balthasar Carlos in Black and Silver, now in the Wallace Collection. Until recently, apart from a partial X-ray image, no technical analysis of the painting had been undertaken.
This paper will discuss the recent technical analysis of the portrait undertaken as part of the Reynolds Research Project, how the results relate to Velazquez's painting technique, what can be revealed about the restoration of the painting and how this compares with the analysis of Reynolds's materials.
This paper discusses the technical analysis of the painting Peter Darnell Muilman, Charles Crokat... more This paper discusses the technical analysis of the painting Peter Darnell Muilman, Charles Crokatt and William Keable in a Landscape c.1750, by Thomas Gainsborough. It forms part of a publication offering a multi-disciplinary discussion of Gainsborough’s early triple portrait, this project considers the painting as a depiction of polite and refined society, as a reflection of the growing wealth of a global mercantile elite, and as a ‘painting within a painting’ by an artist as renowned for his landscapes as he was his portraiture. http://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/in-focus/muilman-crokatt-keable-thomas-gainsborough/the-painting/painting-the-picture
This essay explores the development of Joshua Reynolds's painting technique, drawing on the techn... more This essay explores the development of Joshua Reynolds's painting technique, drawing on the technical analysis of his paintings in the Wallace Collection carried out during the Reynolds Research Project. It highlights the influence of the Old Masters on his manipulation of paint, contrasting his approaches to those of his British predecessors and comparing his technique to those of his contemporaries.
Technical catalogue entries for the paintings by Joshua Reynolds in the National Gallery and the ... more Technical catalogue entries for the paintings by Joshua Reynolds in the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection, including X-ray and infrafred images of the paintings and analyses of the paint structures and materials.
This essay provides an overview of Joshua Reynolds's painting technique drawing on the technical ... more This essay provides an overview of Joshua Reynolds's painting technique drawing on the technical analysis of his paintings from the collections of the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection. It examines the supports, preparatory layers, mediums, pigments and varnishes used by Reynolds as well as his painting technique, including his use of assistants and drapery painters.
Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792) is notorious for experimenting with his painting materials and for th... more Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792) is notorious for experimenting with his painting materials and for the resultant paint defects, such as cracking and fading, which have arisen in his paintings. Many of the problems with his technique are associated with the rate of drying of his paint layers and can be related to his use of additives in his oil paint and his adoption of alternative paint media, such as resins and wax. This paper focuses in particular on Reynolds’s use of copaiba balsam. The entries in his ‘technical notes’, where he records using copaiba balsam, are examined. In addition we report the findings of technical analysis of his paintings that relate to the identification of copaiba balsam, carried out at the National Gallery, London, during the Wallace Collection Reynolds Research Project. The use of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the detection of copaiba balsam, and the limitations of this technique when examining complex paint mixtures, is discussed.
MediaWiki, a free, open source software package that allows collaborative web-based presentation ... more MediaWiki, a free, open source software package that allows collaborative web-based presentation and discussion of digital information, has been used to explore the practical day-to-day requirements of digital documentation within the National Gallery, London. This work has enabled conservators, scientists and curators to start digitally documenting their work straight away, capturing the information and procedures they already used, while allowing them to influence and steer the development of the system as they worked. The structure of the documentation continued to evolve in a collaborative, transparent way, speeding up processes and removing restrictions whilst responding to the practical needs of the users. The procedures, processes and software are described with examples, including the work carried out on the Reynolds Research Project in collaboration with the Wallace Collection.
The Strawberry Girl is one of the best-known paintings of Reynolds’s oeuvre. Two versions surviv... more The Strawberry Girl is one of the best-known paintings of Reynolds’s oeuvre. Two versions survive: in the collection
at Bowood House in Wiltshire and the Wallace Collection in London. Technical analysis of The Age of Innocence at Tate revealed that this painting covers another version of the Strawberry Girl. The process of copying paintings was a well-known practice in Reynolds’s studio. Technical analysis has shown that the copies often employ much simpler techniques than paintings by Reynolds’s own hand. However there is documentary evidence that Reynolds sometimes worked simultaneously on more than one version of the same subject and The Strawberry Girl may be an example of this practice. This paper discusses the technical analysis of The Strawberry Girl in the Wallace Collection and the version hidden beneath The Age of Innocence. It also examines the two versions of this painting and how they relate to the development of this image.
The technical complexity of Reynolds’s works is well known to inspire trepidation on the part of ... more The technical complexity of Reynolds’s works is well known to inspire trepidation on the part of the conservator. Now a major research project aims at better understanding the artists’ painting technique. Alexandra Gent and Rachel Morrison describe some of their preliminary findings.
Changes in colour may completely alter the way we see a painting. From blue leaves in a still lif... more Changes in colour may completely alter the way we see a painting. From blue leaves in a still life, to the blue walls in Van Gogh’s bedroom, our perception of a painting can be informed by an understanding of these changes. When conserving paintings our comprehension of these alterations can influence the way we display and restore them. The papers in this volume were presented at the ICON paintings Group conference 'Appearance and Reality: Examining Colour Change in Paintings' with the aim of providing an overview of colour change in paintings, from the work of the old masters to modern and contemporary painters. They also address the aesthetic considerations related to these changes when approaching conservation treatments and how understanding these variations can influence the restoration and presentation of paintings.
Adhesives and consolidants used in the conservation of paintings (e.g. for lining, the laying dow... more Adhesives and consolidants used in the conservation of paintings (e.g. for lining, the laying down of paint flakes, the application of temporary facings etc, can have very varying properties at the time they are applied. Over time, and under differing conditions, some materials can present concerns for the conservator including brittleness, yellowing and discolouration and difficulty in removal.
The papers in this volume, presented at an ICON paintings group conference at the National Portrait Gallery, London, confront some of the problems encountered including: the practical application of materials; reversibility and long –term performance; the properties required of an adhesive and the properties of some of the materials commonly used as consolidants / adhesives.