‎Elisabeth Ravaud‎
‎Radiography and Painting‎

‎, Brepols, 2023 Hardback, 2 vols, xviii + 567 pages, Size:240 x 340 mm, Illustrations:76 b/w, 272 col., 5 tables b/w., Language: English. ISBN 9782503554549.‎

Reference : 63293

‎Radiography is a technique that has been employed in the study of paintings for more than a century. The history of this method of analysis indicates that its development has been modest since the 1960s, as its use has been limited to reductive approaches that take into account no more than the immediately intelligible signs. By systematically considering the physical mechanisms involved in the creation of an image, this volume seeks to demonstrate that we can access new fields of radiological analysis by identifying two categories of 'signs': those that may be obvious but whose meaning is misleading, and those which are not immediately comprehensible. This study has been primarily based on a thorough and essential reviewing of current literature concerning the materials and processes used for the making of paintings. The semiological analysis is based on the understanding of the physical phenomena occurring in the formation of the image, and on correlations between the radiographic images of a painting and the information stemming from its observation, other scientific results, and the restoration reports. Furthermore, a number of experiments were conducted to consolidate certain assumptions regarding image-formation mechanisms. Ultimately, this book hopes to show how data resulting from radiographic analysis can be seen and set in a broader context of information on a specific work or a group of works, in order to enrich our knowledge of art history, history of technology, and conservation as well as restoration. La radiographie est une technique appliqu e aux peintures depuis pr s d'un si cle. L'histoire de cette technique d'analyse montre que son d veloppement s'est trouv limit depuis les ann es 1960 en raison d'une approche uniquement bas e sur la prise en compte de signes imm diatement suggestifs. Or ce mode d'analyse ne permet pas d'expliquer l'ensemble des images observ es sur une radiographie de peinture. En consid rant de mani re syst matique le m canisme de formation de l'image, ce travail souhaite d montrer que l'on peut acc der de nouveaux champs de l'analyse radiologique en identifiant deux autres cat gories de signes: les signes suggestifs mais dont la signification est trompeuse et les signes non imm diatement intelligibles. Cette analyse a t possible gr ce une revue de la litt rature la plus compl te possible sur les mat riaux constitutifs et les proc d s employ s pour la r alisation des peintures. L'analyse s miologique est bas e sur la compr hension des ph nom nes physiques en jeu dans la formation de l'image et sur des corr lations entre les images observ es et les informations provenant de l'observation, d'autres examens r alis s sur l'oeuvre ou encore de rapports de restauration. De plus une exp rimentation a t conduite pour conforter certaines hypoth ses de m canisme de formation de l'image. Enfin, les donn es issues de la radiographie peuvent tre replac es dans un contexte plus large de donn es ou informations connues sur une ?uvre ou groupe d'oeuvres pour enrichir nos connaissances en histoire de l'art, histoire des techniques et conservation-restauration. TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME ONE - TEXT Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter I. A history of the radiography of paintings Chapter II. The paint layer Chapter III. The preparatory phases Chapter IV. Supports Chapter V. Damage and Restorations Chapter VI. Contribution of radiography to the history of art, the history of painting practices and conservation Conclusion Annex 1: List of the x-rays done by Alan Borroughs during his stay in Paris in 1926 Bibliography Index VOLUME TWO - ILLUSTRATIONS ‎