Date of Award
9-2024
Access Control
Open Access
Degree Name
Art Conservation, M.A., C.A.S.
Department
Art Conservation Department
Advisor
Fiona Beckett
Department Home page
https://artconservation.buffalostate.edu
First Reader
Fiona Beckett
Second Reader
Jiuan Jiuan Chen
Third Reader
Aaron Shugar
Fourth Reader
Rebecca Ploeger
Abstract
This study focuses on the research, technical analysis, and treatment of an 1852 Jacob Spoel painting (Untitled, acc.62.28, 80cm H x 105cm W x 1.75cm D) owned by the Memorial Art Gallery and described as a ‘family gathering.’ When received by the department, the painting was not in a fit state for display; it was not structurally sound and had a disfiguring varnish reducing the readability of the composition. Technical research, multimodal imaging, radiography, and instrumental analysis, including x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, cross-sectional analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, were carried out to understand the materials and techniques used by the artist. Results played a part in shaping the treatment strategy, and the painting was successfully stabilized and returned to a suitable condition for exhibition.
Recommended Citation
Enterline, Susan P. 2023. Nineteen Figures and Counting: Contextualization and Conservation Treatment of a Jacob Spoel Painting. M.A./M.S. thesis, SUNY Buffalo State University, Buffalo.
