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. 2023 Apr 11;62(16):e202216478.
doi: 10.1002/anie.202216478. Epub 2023 Jan 25.

Lead(II) Formate in Rembrandt's Night Watch: Detection and Distribution from the Macro- to the Micro-scale

Victor Gonzalez  1   2 , Ida Fazlic  2   3 , Marine Cotte  3   4 , Frederik Vanmeert  5   6 , Arthur Gestels  5   7 , Steven De Meyer  5 , Fréderique Broers  2   5   8   9 , Joen Hermans  2   8 , Annelies van Loon  2 , Koen Janssens  5 , Petria Noble  2 , Katrien Keune  2   8
Affiliations

Lead(II) Formate in Rembrandt's Night Watch: Detection and Distribution from the Macro- to the Micro-scale

Victor Gonzalez et al. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. .

Abstract

The Night Watch, painted in 1642 and on view in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, is considered Rembrandt's most famous work. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) mapping at multiple length scales revealed the unusual presence of lead(II) formate, Pb(HCOO)2 , in several areas of the painting. Until now, this compound was never reported in historical oil paints. In order to get insights into this phenomenon, one possible chemical pathway was explored thanks to the preparation and micro-analysis of model oil paint media prepared by heating linseed oil and lead(II) oxide (PbO) drier as described in 17th century recipes. Synchrotron radiation based micro-XRPD (SR-μ-XRPD) and infrared microscopy were combined to identify and map at the micro-scale various neo-formed lead-based compounds in these model samples. Both lead(II) formate and lead(II) formate hydroxide Pb(HCOO)(OH) were detected and mapped, providing new clues regarding the reactivity of lead driers in oil matrices in historical paintings.

Keywords: Carboxylates; Lead Formate; Pigments; Rembrandt; X-Ray Diffraction.

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References

    1. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/whats-on/exhibitions/operation-night-watch.
    1. D. Bomford, J. Kirby, A. Roy, A. Rüger, R. White, Art in the making: Rembrandt, Yale University Press, Yale, 2006.
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    1. V. Gonzalez, M. Cotte, F. Vanmeert, W. de Nolf, K. Janssens, Chem. Eur. J. 2020, 26, 1703-1719;
    1. V. Gonzalez, M. Cotte, G. Wallez, A. van Loon, W. de Nolf, M. Eveno, K. Keune, P. Noble, J. Dik, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 5619-5622;

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