The wax-resin lining process was used in the 19th and 20th centuries to strengthen paintings on canvas. This project studies the composition and emissions of wax-resin to connect molecular features with the painting’s condition.

About the project

Wax-resin lining, or ‘the Dutch method’, was used in the 19th and 20th centuries to strengthen canvas paintings. It involved impregnating the painting with a mixture of beeswax and resin to adhere a new canvas to the original one. Over time, many paintings, including most of those in the Rijksmuseum collection were wax-resin lined using varying recipes and methods. The condition of these paintings today is varied. It is necessary to develop a method for easy assessment of their degradation status to form a clearer picture of the condition of the collection, and enable a more informed strategy for future conservation.

Aim of the project

With time the constituent ingredients of wax-resin degrade and may cause damage to the original painting. Potential forms of damage include cracking and darkening, and the deformation and delamination of the original and lining canvases. This project will use analytical pyrolysis and headspace analysis, coupled with chromatography and mass spectrometry techniques, to determine the oxidation status of lining materials in a selection of paintings in the Rijksmuseum collection. The results will be correlated with information from conservation records in the museum’s archives to investigate degradation processes associated with the age and composition of the lining.

Related publications

  • Berg, K.J.v.d., Boon, J.J., Pastorova, I. and Spetter, L.F.M. (2000), Mass spectrometric methodology for the analysis of highly oxidized diterpenoid acids in Old Master paintings. J. Mass Spectrom., 35: 512-533.

Staff

Fabiana Di Gianvincenzo
Fabiana.di.gianvincenzo@rijksmuseum.nl
Migelien Gerritzen fellow

Prof. dr. Katrien Keune
K.Keune@rijksmuseum.nl
Head of Science

Dr. Alba Alvarez-Martin
A.Alvarez.Martin@rijksmuseum.nl
Researcher

Dr. Esther van Duijn
E.van.Duijn@rijksmuseum.nl
Restorer

Partners and Sponsors

Migelien Gerritzen Fund

Related projects

Operation Night Watch