Modern Sculpture

This project aims at analyzing the alloy composition and patination of modern sculptures – generally termed “bronzes” - made by Matisse, Picasso, Brancusi, and other prominent modern artists in the AIC collection. Materials composition has been investigated both non-invasively with X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and through the use inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP) of minute amounts of materials drilled from the base or interior of the cast sculptures. This project provides a unique opportunity to examine the entire collection of bronze sculptures by each artist in the AIC’s holdings. The goal is to highlight changes in the alloys during the course of time (following the will of the artist, or changes in metals technology at the foundry), or specific compositions favored by a particular artist or foundry. Statistical analysis will assist in grouping the objects based on minor and major elemental composition and available art-historical or foundry information. Knowledge of the specific elemental composition may provide curators with possible supplemental tools in the authentication and/or dating of modern bronzes. Additionally, the impact of the thickness of the patina on the accuracy of the non-invasive quantitative determination of alloy composition with XRF will be assessed through measurements on metal specimens patinated with traditional recipes.

Project Participants

At AIC:
Francesca Casadio (A.W.Mellon Conservation Scientist)
Aniko Bezur (Associate Conservation Scientist)
Suzanne Schnepp (Conservator of Objects)

At NU:
David Dunand (Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University)
Joseph Lambert (Claire Hamilton Hall Professor of chemistry, Northwestern University)
Marcus Young (postdoctoral fellow, Northwestern University)
Bonnie Chang (undergraduate student, Northwestern University)

Ancient Chinese Bronzes

The mechanical characteristics and the resistance to atmospheric corrosion of bronze artifacts are a direct consequence of the chemical composition and microstructure of the objects themselves. Moreover, the material composition of the artifacts can shed light on ancient production technology and give insights into the provenance and possibly the age of the bronzes. Knowledge of the superficial morphology provides important information on the state of conservation of the objects that in turn will lead to the design of better preservation strategies. The Art Institute holds an extensive collection of ancient Chinese bronzes. The characterization of their materials composition, surface chemistry, and fabrication technology provides help in answering some of the questions raised by prominent scholars in the field.
The project involves a systematic study of the metal composition, of the phases present in the microstructure, and of corrosion products of bronze artifacts with destructive and non-destructive methods of analysis. In particular, Raman microspectroscopy, SEM/EDX analysis, Synchrotron radiation x-ray diffraction, fluorescence and imaging have been used to study selected bronzes. Applications of advanced imaging techniques are being explored.

Projects participants:

At AIC
· Francesca Casadio, (A.W. Mellon Conservation Scientist) (PI)
· Jay Xu, (Pritzker Curator of Asian Art)
· Elinor Pearlstein, (Associate Curator of Chinese Art)
· Barbara Hall, (Senior Conservator of Objects)
· Suzie Schnepp, (Associate Conservator of Objects)

At NU
· David Dunand, (Professor of Materials Science and Engineering (PI)
· Marcus Young (graduate student, Northwestern University)
· John Marvin (undergraduate student, Northwestern University)

At Argonne National Laboratory
· Dean Haeffner, (Advanced Photon Source)
· John Almer, (Advanced Photon Source)
· Kamel Fezzaa, (Advanced Photon Source)
· Wah-Keath Lee, (Advanced Photon Source)

See selected publications originating from this project

Home | Mission | Research Projects | Research Seminars | About Us | Facilities
Bibliography | News & Announcements | Opportunities | FAQ | Links

©2007 Northwestern University and The Art Institute of Chicago