Technical Studies of Paintings: Problems of Attribution (15th-17th Centuries): Papers presented at the Nineteenth Symposium for the Study of Underdrawing and Technology in Painting held in Bruges, 11-13 September 2014

Attributions are central questions in art history. Since the

introduction of new examination methods such as radiography, infrared

photography and reflectography, conventional art history has undergone

major changes. Technical examinations can provide additional arguments

for attributing works of art to individual artists or their workshops.

However, technical studies often also reveal complex working methods,

while new scientific imagery sometimes challenges accepted attributions

and instigates reconsiderations of traditional attributions. The XIXth

symposium for the Study of Underdrawing and Technology in Painting which

was held in Bruges on 11-13 September 2014 was dedicated to technical

studies of paintings: problems of attribution (15th-17th centuries). It

focussed on the various ways in which technical studies can provide

answers to the often complex issue of attribution and will discuss the

challenges that art historians face in proposing conclusive theories.

This book captures the variety of twenty-four papers

presented at the symposium.