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DJR Expert Guide Series, Vol. 471 — Master Guide to Dating Artwork by Pigments & Binders
Pigment and binder analysis is one of the most powerful scientific tools for dating artwork and identifying forgeries. Because pigments and binders have clear historical introduction dates and distinctive material behaviors, they often reveal more about a painting’s authenticity than its signature or subject matter. Anachronistic pigments, incompatible binders, synthetic materials, modern grounds, and restoration layers can all expose later creation, alteration, or forgery.
DJR Expert Guide Series, Vol. 471 provides the complete scientific methodology for dating artwork using pigments, binders, grounds, preparatory layers, varnishes, and cross-sectional evidence. This Master Guide explains pigment timelines, binder evolution, optical and microscopic analysis, UV-fluorescence interpretation, restoration-layer mapping, and stratigraphic evaluation—giving professionals the tools needed to confirm or disprove period authenticity.
Inside this Master Guide, you’ll learn how experts:
Date artwork using pigment introduction timelines across ancient, Renaissance, modern, and contemporary periods
Analyze binders including drying oils, egg tempera, gums, acrylics, resins, alkyds, and synthetic polymers
Identify anachronistic pigments such as titanium white, phthalo blues/greens, cadmium reds, and modern dyes
Distinguish natural mineral pigments from synthetic industrial formulations
Evaluate grounds, gessos, priming layers, and historical preparation materials
Interpret cross-sections and stratigraphy to identify restoration, modern fillers, or incompatible layers
Detect overpainting, retouching, and varnish inconsistencies using UV/IR and microscopic cues
Examine varnishes, natural resins, synthetics, and oxidation behavior
Assess pigment particle size, crystal structure, luminescence patterns, and optical properties
Recognize modern materials—acrylic gesso, commercial primers, modern polymers—that contradict historical dating
Integrate pigment, binder, and ground analysis into a complete authentication conclusion
Whether evaluating Renaissance panel paintings, 19th-century oils, early modern works, or postwar pieces, this guide provides the museum-grade methodology needed to determine whether the materials match the artwork’s claimed date.
Digital Download — PDF • 9 Pages • Instant Access
Pigment and binder analysis is one of the most powerful scientific tools for dating artwork and identifying forgeries. Because pigments and binders have clear historical introduction dates and distinctive material behaviors, they often reveal more about a painting’s authenticity than its signature or subject matter. Anachronistic pigments, incompatible binders, synthetic materials, modern grounds, and restoration layers can all expose later creation, alteration, or forgery.
DJR Expert Guide Series, Vol. 471 provides the complete scientific methodology for dating artwork using pigments, binders, grounds, preparatory layers, varnishes, and cross-sectional evidence. This Master Guide explains pigment timelines, binder evolution, optical and microscopic analysis, UV-fluorescence interpretation, restoration-layer mapping, and stratigraphic evaluation—giving professionals the tools needed to confirm or disprove period authenticity.
Inside this Master Guide, you’ll learn how experts:
Date artwork using pigment introduction timelines across ancient, Renaissance, modern, and contemporary periods
Analyze binders including drying oils, egg tempera, gums, acrylics, resins, alkyds, and synthetic polymers
Identify anachronistic pigments such as titanium white, phthalo blues/greens, cadmium reds, and modern dyes
Distinguish natural mineral pigments from synthetic industrial formulations
Evaluate grounds, gessos, priming layers, and historical preparation materials
Interpret cross-sections and stratigraphy to identify restoration, modern fillers, or incompatible layers
Detect overpainting, retouching, and varnish inconsistencies using UV/IR and microscopic cues
Examine varnishes, natural resins, synthetics, and oxidation behavior
Assess pigment particle size, crystal structure, luminescence patterns, and optical properties
Recognize modern materials—acrylic gesso, commercial primers, modern polymers—that contradict historical dating
Integrate pigment, binder, and ground analysis into a complete authentication conclusion
Whether evaluating Renaissance panel paintings, 19th-century oils, early modern works, or postwar pieces, this guide provides the museum-grade methodology needed to determine whether the materials match the artwork’s claimed date.
Digital Download — PDF • 9 Pages • Instant Access