Clare and Kate have published a digital interactive article illustrating Rubens’s complex creative process in the Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art. The article explores the Courtauld Gallery’s Conversion of Saint Paul series, which comprise a compositional drawing, an oil sketch, and a finished painting, using  improved imaging techniques to highlight Rubens’s extremely fluid approach to the development of the design. Their findings suggest a much longer gestation of these ideas than the 1610–1612 date proposed, and cast light on Rubens’s broader working practice and his ceaseless striving for aesthetic perfection, combined with a pragmatic approach to the reuse and reworking of his compositions. Complex compositional changes are revealed using X-ray, infrared, transmitted, and raking light as well as microscopic examination and can be explored using enhanced image tools and navigation. Readers can compare works of art with their technical images using the “IIIF multi-mode viewer” to better understand Rubens’s artistic exploration of ideas and aid their own research.

To read this open access research go to: https://jhna.org/articles/rubens-the-conversion-of-saint-paul/

The Wallace Collection’s curator, Lucy Davis, has published a beautiful in-depth examination of Rubens’s iconic pendant landscapes: A View of Het Steen in the Early Morning and The Rainbow Landscape. These very personal, late works have long been recognised for their technical complexity as the artist expanded and revised the compositions multiple times. TSR were happy to be able to contribute new infrared images of The Rainbow Landscape which helped to better understand its complex development casting light on the artist’s intensions and processes.

Lucy Davis, Rubens: The Two Great Landscapes, The Wallace Collection, Philip Wilson Publishers, London (2020)

To see a preview of the book, including infrared images captured by TSR go to: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rubens-Great-Landscapes-Lucy-Davis/dp/1781301042

Tager Stonor Richardson were very excited to undertake infrared reflectography for English Heritage’s recent conservation treatment of the Madonna of the Pomegranate. Infrared examination revealed changes to the final composition which would not be expected in a copy and this, along with microscopic examination and x-radiography, helped to attribute the painting to Botticelli’s workshop.

Watch Rachel Turnbull, English Heritage’s Senior Collections Conservator, discuss the conservation treatment and technical investigation, with a glimpse of Colin capturing the reflectogram here.

The newly restored Madonna of the Pomegranate will be on display at Ranger’s House in Greenwich from 1st April 2019.

TSR were pleased to contribute to the understanding of how Tosini made his monumental Mannerist masterpiece, Cleopatra, for the London Old Masters Evening Sale, 4th July 2018. The reflectogram revealed a highly complex underdrawing with dense, liquid hatching – probably done in an ink – used to ‘sculpt’ the forms.

See Chloe Stead’s blog for a discussion of how Sotheby’s use technical imaging techniques to inform their cataloguing.

TSR infrared detail of the hand from ‘Cleopatra’ by Michele Tosini, Image Courtesy of Sotheby’s

TSR opened for business in July 2002 and we thought we would bring you a few throwback photos from our first website to reminisce about those days and celebrate 15 years of mobile infrared imaging! Of course we have hardly changed, as you can see…

Back then we were using a Hamamatsu vidicon camera and vips/nip software to painstakingly stitch the images together. It was a tricky process and it might explain a few of my grey hairs. As you can see our office still had a fax machine, and flat screen monitors had yet to be introduced. Thankfully now we can work on laptops with the fantastic OSIRIS camera and we have slightly fewer heavy bags to carry onto site.

We’re excited to see what the next 15 years will bring, and are grateful to all our clients for supporting us on our way.