How Did He Paint That? An Introduction to Technical Art History

Many Arts Society members will be familiar with TV shows such as Fake or Fortune? and Britain’s Lost Masterpieces where art historians, conservators and conservation scientists work together to build a ‘profile’ of an artist or a painting that helps us to understand how, why and when they used certain materials and techniques and whether or not a work is authentic. In recent years, this type of investigation has been given a new name – ‘Technical Art History’. This lecture will look at the most common scientific and technical methods used, such as x-rays, cross-sections and pigment analysis, and explain the kinds of information we can gain from them.

Sarah Cove is an accredited paintings conservator-restorer, technical art historian and lecturer with more than 35 years’ experience working on paintings for the heritage and private sectors. She is based in London and Falmouth and is a specialist in British portraits, 19th-20th century British landscapes and oil sketches on paper and board. In 1986 she founded the Constable Research Project and she is now the leading authority on Constable’s materials and techniques.