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Scientific study of the bozzetto of Murillo’s painting “Moses and the water from the rock of Horeb”

  • NON-DESTRUCIVE TECHNIQUES FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE
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Abstract

With occasion of the “Murillo’s year” (fourth centenary of his birth), the Andalusian Institute for Cultural Heritage (Instituto Andaluz de Patrimonio Histórico) received the request from a private collector for the restoration and authentication of a bozzetto of the Murillo´s painting entitled Moses and the water from the rock of Horeb. During the intervention, several studies on the materials employed were carried out—on the bozzetto and on the final large dimension painting, to characterize the different components of the paintings (ground layer, pigments and binders), as well as to confirm/reject the authenticity of the bozzetto. After a detailed general inspection using multispectral techniques (visible, UV, IRR) some pentimenti were discovered. In addition, Macro X-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF) scanning technique was performed, complemented by point XRF and stratigraphic analyses. The results show that the ground layers were prepared in the usual fashion of the artist, using earths, calcium carbonate, iron oxide pigments and white lead. MA-XRF mapping allowed determining the spatial distribution and the combination of these pigments along the surface of both paintings. Results show that canvas, priming, binders, pigments and painting techniques of the bozzetto are compatible with those of the original painting, so we can conclude that most likely this is the original Murillo’s bozzetto.

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Acknowledgements

The authors very much appreciate the unique offer of Mr. Wüllner to study the bozzetto, as well as the collaboration of the IAPH professionals Lourdes Núñez Casares and Eugenio Fernández Ruíz. This research was possible thanks to the financial support by “Fundación La Caixa”, “Humilde y Real Hermandad de la Santa Caridad de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo” and “VI Plan Propio de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla”. The authors wish also to acknowledge the professional support of the Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform from CSIC Open Heritage: Research and Society (PTI-PAIS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, Universidad de Sevilla-CSIC-J. Andalucía, C/Thomas A. Edison 7, 41092, Seville, Spain

    Anabelle Kriznar, Francisco J. Ager & Miguel Ángel Respaldiza

  2. Departamento de Escultura e Historia de las Artes Plásticas, Facultad de Bellas Artes, Universidad de Sevilla, C/Laraña 3, 41003, Seville, Spain

    Anabelle Kriznar

  3. Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Universidad de Sevilla, C/Virgen de África 7, 41001, Seville, Spain

    Francisco J. Ager

  4. INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Via Santa Sofia 62, 95123, Catania, Italy

    Claudia Caliri

  5. Departamento de Física Atómica, Molecular y Nuclear, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. de la Reina Mercedes s/n, 41012, Seville, Spain

    Miguel Ángel Respaldiza

  6. CNR, Istituto per i Beni Archeologici e Monumentali, Via Biblioteca 4, 95124, Catania, Italy

    Francesco Paolo Romano

  7. Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico, Camino de los Descubrimientos, s/n, 41092, Seville, Spain

    María Auxiliadora Gómez-Morón & Rocío Magdaleno

Authors
  1. Anabelle Kriznar
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  2. Francisco J. Ager
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  3. Claudia Caliri
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  4. Miguel Ángel Respaldiza
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  5. Francesco Paolo Romano
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  6. María Auxiliadora Gómez-Morón
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  7. Rocío Magdaleno
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Correspondence to Anabelle Kriznar.

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Kriznar, A., Ager, F.J., Caliri, C. et al. Scientific study of the bozzetto of Murillo’s painting “Moses and the water from the rock of Horeb”. Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 31, 795–805 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-020-00939-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-020-00939-1

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