N.º 1 2005 pp. 5-19

Article
Columbano's painting accordingly to its paintboxes

António João Cruz

Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa

ajcruz@fc.ul.pt

Abstract

Two paintboxes of Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro (1857-1929), that were probably used about 1920, contain 64 paint tubes of an English supplier (Winsor & Newton) and three French (Morin & Janet, C. Bourgès and Lefranc).There is a great variety of earths with yellow, red or brown colors. On the contrary, there is just one type of paints of white, black or green color.The most abundant tubes are those of ochre, sienna, umber, lead white and ultramarine blue pigments; the least frequent ones are those of cadmium yellow, bitumen,Van Dyck brown, cobalt blue and bone black.The most important absence is that of zinc white. In general, there is a distinct preference for traditional pigments. By X-rays fluorescence spectrometry, white materials used as fillers were detected in some tubes and it was verified that one of the paints identified in the label as ochre, in reality is umber. The paintboxes also contain 43 brushes, in general very worn. Although it exists in the literature one reference to the poor state of conservation of Columbano's paintings, resulting from a great use of bitumen, such statement is not supported, neither by the paintboxes, nor by the conservation processes in archive at the Portuguese Institute of Conservation and Restoration. In general, the pigments found in the paintboxes don't seem to predict significant problems in Columbano's paintings.

Keywords

Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro
Painting materials
Pigments
X-ray fluorescence spectrometry
Conservation

Language

Portuguese

Original title

A pintura de Columbano segundo as suas caixas de tintas e pincéis

DOI

10.14568/cp1_2

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History

Online: 2017-10-3
Publication: 2005-2-3

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Stable url: https://doi.org/10.14568/cp1_2