The role of restoration and scientifc examination for the accurate attribution of a European painting in South America

GALLEGOS DAMASIA; TASCÓN, MARCOS; MARTE FERNANDO; CALDERÓN MARIANA; TACCETTI FRANCESCO

Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali

Springer

Año: 2020 p. 431 - 442

2037-4631

This work presents the interdisciplinary research and intervention of a big format painting attributed to Salvator Rosa. Inaddition to the challenging nature of the restoration, due to its format and state of conservation, the painting is a good exampleof the proliferation of art commerce in Argentina by the end of nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Art collection andart dealing in this particular period has been studied from the historical point of view; however, extensive material investigation on the paintings that arrived in Argentina in this period of time has not been performed yet. When these pieces gofrom the private sphere to the collections of public institutions, it is important to conduct an in-depth investigation aboutthem, to ofer accurate information and to insert cultural heritage pieces into historical and national context. Restorationled to a deeper comprehension of the painting?s historical and technical features; the pigment samples analyzed by Ramanspectroscopy and polarized light microscopy, together with the contributions of the restoration feld, cast a doubt over the Salvator Rosa attribution. However, considering technical aspects like the artisanal grinding of pigments, how the colorwas applied and the absence of synthetic pigments in the original layers, as well as the relationship between iconographyand format, the piece can be identifed as a no later than eighteenth century European painting. It is doubtful that the piece was made with intentions of forgery; however, it is more likely that the attribution comes from fraudulent documents andregistration when the painting was sold