Abstract The paper considers how technical art history facilitates intellectual access to cultura... more Abstract The paper considers how technical art history facilitates intellectual access to cultural heritage. In the light of contemporary documentation, it examines the Westminster Retable, England's oldest easel painting, to draw technical and economic links between the Retable and Westminster Abbey. It suggests that details of construction and cost provide frames of reference in which to approach the severely damaged polychrome object.
The Westminster Retable is a work of art occupying a central position in late thirteenth century ... more The Westminster Retable is a work of art occupying a central position in late thirteenth century painting in Europe. It is 3.4m long, 1m high and about 0.1m thick and consists of an oak support which carries numerous decorative and structural features and materials including: wood carvings, paintings, glass, dowels, metal, stone and vellum. During the restoration process it is necessary to conduct environmental response monitoring and mechanical deformation checking to ensure the integrity of the Retable. A multi-image digital photogrammetric system has been chosen for this purpose since it offers a periodic method of non-contact recording. However the image record and its associated spatial data can be used for other purposes including providing the basis of a visual database used to manage the conservation process and to automatically generate a 3D surface model which allows the art conservator to make measurements and comparisons between different parts of the structure.
This paper describes the formal representation and analysis of a visual structure –craquelure (an... more This paper describes the formal representation and analysis of a visual structure –craquelure (an accidental feature of paintings).Various statistical methods demonstrate a relationship between a formal representation of craquelure and art-historical categories of paintings. The results of this work provide confirmation of connoisseurial claims regarding craquelure as a broad indicator of authorship. The techniques employed in this study are; repertory grid, hierarchical clustering, multidimensional scaling and discriminant analysis.
Abstract The paper considers how technical art history facilitates intellectual access to cultura... more Abstract The paper considers how technical art history facilitates intellectual access to cultural heritage. In the light of contemporary documentation, it examines the Westminster Retable, England's oldest easel painting, to draw technical and economic links between the Retable and Westminster Abbey. It suggests that details of construction and cost provide frames of reference in which to approach the severely damaged polychrome object.
The Westminster Retable is a work of art occupying a central position in late thirteenth century ... more The Westminster Retable is a work of art occupying a central position in late thirteenth century painting in Europe. It is 3.4m long, 1m high and about 0.1m thick and consists of an oak support which carries numerous decorative and structural features and materials including: wood carvings, paintings, glass, dowels, metal, stone and vellum. During the restoration process it is necessary to conduct environmental response monitoring and mechanical deformation checking to ensure the integrity of the Retable. A multi-image digital photogrammetric system has been chosen for this purpose since it offers a periodic method of non-contact recording. However the image record and its associated spatial data can be used for other purposes including providing the basis of a visual database used to manage the conservation process and to automatically generate a 3D surface model which allows the art conservator to make measurements and comparisons between different parts of the structure.
This paper describes the formal representation and analysis of a visual structure –craquelure (an... more This paper describes the formal representation and analysis of a visual structure –craquelure (an accidental feature of paintings).Various statistical methods demonstrate a relationship between a formal representation of craquelure and art-historical categories of paintings. The results of this work provide confirmation of connoisseurial claims regarding craquelure as a broad indicator of authorship. The techniques employed in this study are; repertory grid, hierarchical clustering, multidimensional scaling and discriminant analysis.
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Papers by Spike Bucklow