2024:
Presentation at HNA Conference
In July, the triennial conference of Historians of Netherlandish Art took place in Cambridge (UK). At this conference, I presented a paper in the session “Technical Art History: Material stories – Object itineraries”. I discussed Michaelina Wautier’s Flower Garland with Butterfly, and how technical research into this painting revealed artistic influences of Antwerp flower painters on Wautier.
Technical research into Wautier’s The Five Senses
Together with colleagues from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, I am conducting a thorough technical examination of Michaelina Wautier’s series of The Five Senses. The results of this research will be published in the catalogue accompanying the upcoming exhibition on Wautier (Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, 2025).
Papers XXIInd Symposium for the Study of Underdrawing and Technology in Painting
In January, the proceedings of the Alla Maniera conference, or the 22nd Symposium for the Study of Underdrawing and Technology in Painting (Bruges/online 2022) was published. In this book, two papers were published to which I contributed. Together with a student and colleagues from the University of Antwerp, I wrote a paper titled “Reconstructing Sweerts: Practical Insights into the Historical Dark Halo Technique based on Paint Reconstructions”. This paper can be found and read here. Together with colleagues from the Mauritshuis and the National Gallery of Art, I also wrote a paper on Rogier van der Weyden’s The Lamentation of Christ.
2023:
Research project Rachel Ruysch
Together with a group of international scholars, I am researching the studio practice and painting techniques of Rachel Ruysch, in preparation of the monographic exhibition in Munich, Toledo and Boston (2024-2025).
Article “Scanning Michael Sweerts”
Published in RKD Studies: Rieke van Leeuwen en Gert Jan van der Sman (eds.), Going South: Artistic Exchange between the Netherlands and Italy in the 17th century (Gerson Digital IX), The Hague 2023. The paper can be found here.
2022:
Presentation “The Dark Halo Technique in 17th-century Dutch and Flemish Painting: Origin and Function”
Presentation at the Rubenshuis / Rubenianum Works-in-Progress Workshop, 28 June 2022.
Symposium presentation “Michael Sweerts and his Manner of the Dark Halo”
Presentation at the symposium Alla Maniera: Technical Art History and the Meaning of Style in 15th to 17th Century Painting (XXIInd Symposium for the Study of Underdrawing and Technology), 28-30 March 2022, online.
Symposium presentation “Rogier van der Weyden’s Bewening“
Presentation at the symposium Alla Maniera: Technical Art History and the Meaning of Style in 15th to 17th Century Painting (XXIInd Symposium for the Study of Underdrawing and Technology), 28-30 March 2022, online. Collaboration with Carol Pottasch (Mauritshuis).
Article “The dark halo technique in the oeuvre of Michael Sweerts and other Flemish and Dutch baroque painters. A 17th c. empirical solution to mitigate the optical ‘simultaneous contrast’ effect?” (Heritage Science)
This paper is published open access and can be found here.
2021:
Examination of Peter Paul Rubens – Miraculous Catch of Fish
In October 2021, parts of Rubens’ Miraculous Catch of Fish were examined with MA-XRF scanning, supporting the conservation treatment of this triptych. The examination of the painting was a logistical challenge due to its format.
2020:
Zoom lecture “Discoloration in the oeuvre of Joachim Beuckelaer”
I was asked to give a presentation about discoloration in the paintings of Joachim Beuckelaer to students of the MA programme Technical Art History (University of Amsterdam). This presentation was part of a series of lectures on the topic of discoloration.
The Drawing School by Michael Sweerts
Recently, Michael Sweerts’ The Drawing School was scanned with MA-XRF in the Frans Hals Museum (Haarlem). The museum wrote a short post about it on their Facebook page and their website.
2019:
A Spinning Woman by Michael Sweerts
For my PhD research I was able to scan Michael Sweerts’ A Spinning Woman with MA-XRF (macro x-ray fluorescence) at Museum Gouda. Museum Gouda wrote a short post about it, which you can read here.
Summer Course: The age of Bruegel in context
I have been selected to participate in this intensive program of eleven days, in which I will attend lectures, discussions and museum visits. The Summer Course also provides its participants with a clear overview of the Flemish collections and the current state of research into sixteenth century Netherlandish art.
2018:
Article Desipientia
I have written an article on my research into Joachim Beuckelaer, which has been published in the Desipientia magazine (25:2, November 2018).
Speaker at the OSK symposium
On 6 July 2018, the OSK (association of Art History students of the Radboud University Nijmegen) organized an alumni symposium. I was asked to speak about my technical research into Joachim Beuckelaer.
Annual VNK bibliography
In 2018, I have compiled the annual VNK bibliography. This year’s theme was Fine art and decorative arts before 1550. I have compiled a list of all publications by Dutch authors, published between 2012 and 2017.
2017:
Guest lecture ‘Discoloration’
University of Amsterdam
I gave a lecture for first-year MA students Technical Art History. The topic of this lecture was discoloration in easel painting. After the lecture, I gave a guided tour through the Rijksmuseum to see and discuss some examples of discoloration in European easel painting.
Guest lecture ‘Discoloration’
School voor Ambacht en Kunst, Laag-Soeren
I have prepared a guest lecture about discoloration in (Netherlandish) painting. Special attention was paid to the Antwerp painter Joachim Beuckelaer.
Guided tour ‘Discoloration’
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
During my stay in Washington, I have given a guided tour through the National Gallery of Art. This tour focused on discoloration in Netherlandish painting. I have written a blog about this tour, which can be read here.
2016:
Research into infrared reflectgraphy
Mauritshuis, The Hague
In the Mauritshuis, I have conducted extensive research into Infrared Reflectography (IRR). IRR is a technique with which the underdrawing of a painting can be made visible. I have made a comparison between different infrared cameras, using Rogier van der Weyden’s Lamentation.
