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Thefrontsandbacksofthepanelswereminimallyprepared:theyareunevenand
rough–themannerofcuttingandtracesoftoolsareclearlyvisible.Thebacksofthe
panelsarestained.
Thepoplarsupportsareparticularlywellpreserved,consideringthattheyareunitary
boards,aratherrareoccurrenceincaseofsuchlargedimensions.Theyareonlyslightly
warped.Theboardsrevealnotracesofmajordamageresultingfromwoodmovement
ormechanicalaction,withtheexceptionofasmallcrackintherightlowercornerofthe
Scholar’sportrait.Thereareafewvisibledriedoutknotswithsplitsandminorradial
cracksaroundthem.Somesmalldentsonthefacesandnumeroustracesofframingare
observed.Afewseals,numbersandinscriptiononthereverseofthepanelsarequitewell
preserved.
Thesupportsaresizedandgrounded.TheGirl’sportraitwasexecutedonaquite
thickgroundconsistingoftwosmoothlyfinishedlayers:thelowerlayerismuchthicker
thantheupperone.Intotal,thegroundlayersare148micrometersthick(0,148mm).
Complementinginstrumentalanalysiswithmicroscopicobservationofthesampleindi-
catedtheuseofanemulsionbinderbasedonanimal(protein)glueandoil(unspecified).
Theupperlayerhasamoreoilynature.Thefirstlevelinggroundlayercontainschalkas
afillerandthesecond,thinnerone,consistsmainlyofleadwhitewithasmallamountof
chalk.Thegroundwascoveredwithanochre-coloredimprimatura(ill.III).Athicklayer
ofgroundthoroughlycoversthewoodpanel’sroughsurface.
TheScholar’sboardwascoveredwithaverythingroundlayer(rubbedintothe
board,thickeronlyinhollowsofthewoodstructure),withamaximumthicknessof
40micrometers(0,040mm).Theexaminationoftheground’sbinderrevealedthepres-
enceofanimalgluewiththeadditionofwalnutoil.Thegroundlayercontainsmainly
leadwhiteandasmalladditionofcalciumcarbonate(probablychalk).Thetextureof
thewoodisvisiblethroughthethinlayerofgroundandpaint.Athinochre-coloredim-
primaturalayerwaslaidoverthegroundlayerandisvisiblewiththenakedeyebutis
practicallyimperceptibleinmostofthecross-section.
Therearenodrawingsorpreliminarysketchespriortothepresenttronies.
Closeobservationsofthepainting’ssurfacehaveallowedtotracetheportraits’ex-
ecution.Thepaintwassometimesappliedwet-on-wetwiththepaintofthebackground,
sometimesalittletimeelapsedbeforethenextapplication(applicationinhalf-dried
layers).Thisenabledtheartist,amongotherthings,topaintonwetpaint,i.e.:theshape
ofthequillpen.Theyellowochrecoloroftheimprimaturashowsthroughtheupper
layersandisvisibleinfracturesofthepaintings.Thepaintlayersarerelativelythinwith
lowimpasto.Locally,thehighestimpasto,ismainlyonthepartsoflightsanddetailsof
decoration,i.e.onjewels,dresspiecesoronthepartsoftheopenmanuscriptinScholar’s
panel.
ThepaintontheGirl’sportraitisappliedmorethicklythanScholar’sportrait.
ThesignatureontheScholarissolid,executedinwetpaint,ontheGirlitwasmost
likelyaddedlaterandispartiallydamaged32.
32
K.Groen,duringconsultationtheexaminationsindicatedthatthesignaturewasnotappliedwet-
-in-wetwiththepaintofthebackground,butthatacertaintimehadpastbeforeitsapplicationanditis
notpossibletosayhowmuchtimehadpassed.
