We are pleased to announce a new, online edition of the NICAS colloquium on Thursday 11 April 2024 from 12.00 to 13.00 hrs. The colloquium will take place online through Microsoft Teams. Throughout the year, NICAS organises a bi-weekly Colloquium consisting of two short research lectures. It provides researchers with the opportunity to present ideas for, updates on or results of their activities. The NICAS Colloquium allows people to stay informed on a regular basis about the latest developments and results of research and to exchange information and expertise.
The presenters are Inez van der Werf (Rijksdienst voor Cultureel Erfgoed) and Luc Megens (Rijksdienst voor Cultureel Erfgoed)
Francien Bossema (Rijksmuseum) will be the chair.
Inez van der Werf (RCE) – Zinc white marker paints in Mondrian’s artworks
The talk will illustrate new insights into the composition of two characteristic zinc white paints used by Piet Mondrian in the 1920s and early 1930s. Nine paintings dated between 1921 and 1935 were studied, focusing on three works in the collection of the Fondation Beyeler (Basel, Switzerland) and on Lozenge composition with yellow lines in Kunstmuseum Den Haag. The occurrence of these types of zinc white paint has never been reported so far, neither in paintings by Mondrian nor in other works made in this period. It is likely more widespread than currently known, but may have been overlooked in similar case studies. The detection of the zinc white ‘marker paints’ contributes to delineate the chronology of Mondrian’s working process and may also be important in the interpretation of overpaints.
For over 20 years Inez van der Werf has been involved in heritage research. Trained as painting conservator (ICR, Rome) and chemist (MSc), she then obtained a PhD from the University of Bari (Italy). Inez is currently working as senior scientist at the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) and is member of the Scientific Working Group of NICAS. Her research focuses on painting materials, mainly of the 20th century, Raman spectroscopy and proteomics. Her most recent studies are related to the painting techniques and materials of Piet Mondrian and Jan Schoonhoven and to synthetic pigments and dyes.
Luc Megens (RCE) – The 10th century Gospel Book of Egmond
When around 975 the West-Frisian Count Dirk II founded an abbey in Egmond in the Northern part of his territory now known as Holland, he and his wife Hildegard donated a Gospel Book to the abbey. The book was already a century old, but was embellished with miniatures depicting him and his wife donating the book on one, and adoring the local saint Adalbert on the other. Before it was featuring in the exhibition ‘The Year 1000’ in the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden we performed scientific research on the materials of the Book. Especially the investigation of the pigments in the 9th and the 10th century miniatures revealed some surprising results!
Luc Megens is working as senior heritage scientist at the National Cultural Heritage Agency investigating painted objects, glass and ceramics and organic archaeological materials.