Unfinished self portrait found under Rembrandt’s painting

Research on the canvas and the factors that allowed it to be attributed to Rembrandt’s legacy are reported in Ernstvande Wetering, professor emeritus of art history at the University of Amsterdam and head of the Rembrandt research project, Martin Bijl, restorer, Joris Dik, professor at Delft University of Technology, and Koen Janssens, professor at the University of Antwerp.

Rembrandt van Rijn - The Old Man with a Beard. OK. 1630. 18 x 17.5 cm

Ernst van de Wetering is convinced of the authenticity of this work on the basis of technical similarities to the writing style of Rembrandt’s paintings, made in 1630.

There is also a copy of the canvas, which, apparently, was made in the studio of Rembrandt by one of his apprentices. The same image was found on a 1633 reproduction with an inscription saying that it was made by Rembrandt.

In addition, scientific studies have shown that under the surface of the paint there is also an unfinished self-portrait of Rembrandt.

On Tuesday, December 2, 2011, an unknown painting by Rembrandt was exhibited at the Rembrandt House Museum. The small panel “The Old Man with a Beard” was written by the artist around 1630, at the end of his Leiden period. Rembrandt House rented a picture from a private collection.

This self-portrait was discovered while scanning the canvas by the European Center for Synchrotron Radiation (ESRF) in Grenoble using a dual-energy X-ray image and the Brookhaven National Library (BNL) in New York using the MA-XRF spectrometric technology, first applied to the painting by professors Cohen Janssens (from University of Antwerp) and Joris Dick (Delft University of Technology). During research at BNL, the newly developed fluorescence microprobe technology was used, which allows you to scan large objects at high resolution.

XRF technology detects pigments on hidden layers of the picture, making it possible to photographically photograph creations that were later painted over. This new technology has already proven itself during spectacular discoveries related to the work of Francisco Goya and Vincent van Gogh.

From May 1 to July 1, 2012, the Rembrandt House Museum will conduct a specialized exhibition of research works on ten paintings by Rembrandt and his contemporaries using XRF technology.

In 2009, Ernst van de Wetering first noticed Joris Dick and Cohen Janssens on this canvas. The main task of Van de Wetering was to determine whose brush belonged to the work. One of the questions that occupied his mind was the potential presence of a second figure drawn under a bearded old man.

Radiography and IR reflexography showed various changes in the composition of the picture, especially in the collar and hairstyle. However, it was unclear whether the surface itself was reworked, or whether there is another figure under the visible pattern. For art historian Ernst van de Wetering and conservative Martin Bijl, these two questions were important, as they concerned the ownership of the painting and the conditions of its maintenance.

Intrigued by these questions, Joris Dick and Cohen Janssens began a complex scientific campaign, the purpose of which was to shed light on the mysterious "ins and outs" of the picture.

The study used technologies such as X-ray diffraction (XRR), dual-energy X-ray absorption and X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF). In addition, optical and electron microscopy in combination with spectrometry with an X-ray energy dispersion spectrum (SEM / EDX) were used to study a microscopic specimen of paint. So analyze the layered components of the paint and its chemical composition.

The studies were conducted at the universities of Delft and Antwerp and implied the mutual cooperation of the European Center for Synchrotron Radiation (ESRF) in Grenoble, France, and the National Source of Synchrotron Light (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA.

The first step was to study the canvas using the K-absorption band on the ID17 ESRF line. This method allows you to quickly visualize the location of heavy elements in the picture, in particular, in pigments that are found in flesh colors, for example, in white lead (lead) and cinnabar (mercury). However, based on the results, there was no need to talk about the availability of a full-fledged second picture.

Further studies using a portable XRF spectrograph indicated an unusual point concentration of copper, which could not be explained by external signs in the picture. Based on the results of this study by the University of Antwerp, Dick and Janssens decided to conduct an elementary scan using the macro-XRF technique in order to mark the distribution of copper throughout the picture. Later, the practicality of this technique in the definition of hidden paintings was proved by the example of paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Francisco Goya.

In the present case, studies were conducted at NSLS under the direction of Dr. Peter Siddons, who produced high-quality copper distribution maps. Using MAIA, the new high-speed X-ray detector, researchers at BNL and CSIRO was crucial for visualization, as it allowed scientists to get elementary maps of the entire canvas in high quality.

The location of copper indicated the contours of a beardless, younger male figure wearing a beret. This distribution pattern is related to the original sketch of the painting, also known as under-painting. Later cross-sectional analysis confirmed the presence of mercury in the lower paint layer. In particular, this first version of the picture was not finished: it was abandoned in favor of a later image.

Ernst van Wetering recognized the contours of this unfinished figure in a typical pose, hairstyle, white collar and black beret, as in the signs that characterize many of Rembrandt’s early self-portraits. Based on this analogy, he concluded that the canvas was conceived as a self-portrait, then it was left unfinished, and then it was turned into the “Old Man with a Beard” that we know.

In combination with other arguments from the world of art history, the discovery using synchrotron rays introduced the last and decisive arguments in favor of determining the authorship of the picture.

Images of the process of x-ray research from the site of the University of Antwerp:

Photo "Old Man with a Beard" before restoration (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

X-ray diffraction pattern shows that under the "Old Man with a Beard" may be another image. (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Advanced dual-energy radiography at the European Center for Synchrotron Radiation (Grenoble, France).

Canvas on line ID17 of the European Center for Synchrotron Radiation. Shooting using the K-absorption band on the ID17 ESRF line (Grenoble, France).

Dual energy radiography obtained with ESRF ID17 reflects the presence of lead in the picture. Unlike conventional radiography, this image no longer dominates the structure of the wood panel. Thus, the collar and general position of the person in the lower portrait becomes more clear. However, the overall shape of the model’s head and face details remain unobvious.

PXRF studies (Antwerp, Belgium). The points in the picture where the local composition was determined using PXRF (analysis of fluorescent particles using a portable radiograph). At points 8-12 and 17, an increased copper content is observed.

MAXRF Scan, National Synchrotron Radiation Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory (Upton, New York, USA). The picture is located on a motorized scanner, which allows you to recreate an elementary map of the canvas. A pointed beam of synchrotron radiation (SR) is directed at the web. X-ray fluorescence signals produced by paint atoms are detected by the MAIA detector.

Dr. Peter Siddons (NSLS) places the panel inside the MA-XRF.

The resulting elementary distribution map of iron (Fe), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg).

Copper (Cu) and a map of its distribution with enhanced contours of the lower portrait (reconstruction - E. van de Wetering); "Green" version of the copper card.

Comparison of the lines of the “hidden” portrait with other Rembrandt van Rijn self-portraits: (left) young Rembrandt, (© Metropolitan Museum of New York, USA, accession number 53.18), 21.9 x 16.5 cm; (right) Rembrandt’s self-portrait, dated about 1630, (© National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden) 15 x 12.2 cm.

Examination of a sample of ink collected from the background (enriched with copper) using optical and electron microscopy yields dense bluish pigment particles (indicated by an arrow), rich in copper, which are printed on the darker lower layer.

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Unfinished self portrait found under Rembrandt’s painting Automatic translate

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