The artist's painting canvas is a plain weave linen canvas in two pieces. It has been joined prior to painting, by a sewn barrel stitch seam down the centre of the painting. The left canvas is approximately 118cm wide and the right canvas is 121cm. 17th century Flemish canvases width measurements were given in ells (1 ell= approximately 69.6cm) and canvases were available up to 2 ells in width (approx. 140cm). This painting canvas has been cut along the left edge and is difficult to assess its original width but it is probable that both sides of the canvas may have originally measured 7/4 ells (121cm).
Back of artist's canvas showing barrel-stitched canvas seam
Canvas preparationsPaint cross-sections demonstrate that an overall yellow/brown priming layer has been applied to the canvas. This layer is fairly high in binder proportion, and may be animal glue and chalk based.
A second ground layer has been applied over the first. This layer is a mix of a dense fine lead-white pigment and a fibrous black pigment (charcoal black?) with the addition of some other minor pigments. This layer is present in all three cross-sections, taken from the sky, the foreground and the tree foliage, but of varying thicknesses 8-50 microns. The even exposure of the x-radiograph supports the premise that it is an overall dense opaque pale grey ground layer applied over the semi-transparent bulky, yellow/brown priming.
Tiny paint sample taken from edge of damage at tree upper left
x 500 Reflected light
Backscattered scanning electron image of sample above |
