A new research project, funded under the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Science and Heritage Post Doctoral Fellowships Scheme, is helping art historians uncover fascinating paintings that have been hidden for centuries.
Across Europe, historic regime changes often resulted in artworks being plastered or painted over. This was especially common practice in places of worship as a result of changing cultural or religious practices. But now a University of Reading expert is using a pulsed terahertz imaging system, to be able to see murals hidden beneath coats of plaster or paint
The pulsed terahertz imaging system, currently housed at the Centre for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France (C2RMF) in the Palais du Louvre in Paris. However, there are currently problems with the clarity of images experts are able to generate, especially when the layers covering hidden paintings are painted themselves or are uneven.
Dr Gillian Walker and her mentor Dr John Bowen, from the University of Reading’s School of Systems Engineering, are beginning a fascinating three-year project to develop computer software aimed at integrating this technology with the art heritage community.
Dr Walker said: “My aim is to develop easy to use software that will enable a non-terahertz specialist to record data on the existing system, and load it into a package which will generate interpretable images of obscured paintings. Currently over painting introduces shadows on paintings obscured at depth, and uneven surfaces introduce distortion which effects the quality of the images produced.”
“The first step in the project is to create and test the software’s algorithms. I will then be able to collect data from actual artefacts housed at the Louvre, which will allow me to demonstrate the full potential of this imaging technique for art heritage applications.
“In England there is huge interest in uncovering obscured paintings and inscriptions in churches. As well as aiding the world’s art historians with their research, I hope the project opens the way for this imaging technique to be used in this country.”
The Science and Heritage Programme is co-funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The programme’s aim is to ensure that knowledge and innovation in cultural heritage research is strengthened and that early career researchers emerge to lead the heritage science in the future.
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Arts & Humanities Research Council: Each year the AHRC provides approximately £112 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,300 postgraduate awards. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.
Dr Walker’s partners in the project are Dr. Bianca Jackson and Professor Gérard Mourou from the Institut de la Lumière, École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées, Ecole Polytechnique and Prof Michel Menu, Centre for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France, Palais du Louvre. Together, they have been working on archaeological applications of pulsed terahertz imaging since 2007.
The University of Reading is one of the UK's top research-intensive universities. The University is ranked in the top 20 UK higher education institutions in securing research council grants worth nearly £10 million from EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC, AHRC and BBSRC. In the RAE 2008, over 87% of the university's research was deemed to be of international standing. Areas of particular research strength recognised include meteorology and climate change, typography and graphic design, archaeology, philosophy, food biosciences, construction management, real estate and planning, as well as law.