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N.C. Wyeth's coloring technique revealed by Cornell's synchrotron
The pentimento of a flying fist, just visible beneath layers of
paint, triggered an investigation of N.C. Wyeth's "Family Portrait"
at the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pa. A simple X-ray
revealed that a 1919 magazine illustration lurked beneath the 1924
unfinished oil. An early recycler, Wyeth (Andrew's father) routinely
painted new works over his illustrations.
Says CHESS director Sol Gruner, "The key to getting this all to work is to combine the talents of the physicists at CHESS with a powerful group of collaborators, namely, Dr. Mass, Noelle Ocon, associate conservator of paintings at the North Carolina Museum of Art, Christina Bisulca, a graduate of the University of Delaware's program in conservation, and Matt Cushman, a student in the same program. Without these human connections, nothing would happen."
As X-rays from the synchrotron penetrate the painting, some are absorbed and re-emitted by atoms comprising the different pigments. The wavelength and amount of re-radiated X-rays reveal the identity and amount of pigments in particular spots.
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