Extensive Analysis and Findings.
The team performed their analyses on a tiny, “microsample” previously acquired from a concealed corner of the “Mona Lisa,” along with 17 microsamples obtained from throughout the surface of the “Last Supper.” Utilizing X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy methods, they determined that the ground layers of these artworks not only consisted of oil and lead white, but likewise a much rarer lead compound: plumbonacrite (Pb5( CO3) O( OH) 2).
This product had actually not previously been detected in Italian Renaissance paintings, though it d been found in later paintings by Rembrandt in the 1600s. Plumbonacrite is only stable under alkaline conditions, recommending that it formed from a reaction in between the oil and lead( II) oxide (PbO). Undamaged grains of PbO were likewise discovered in the majority of the samples drawn from the “Last Supper.”.
da Vincis Unconventional Use of Lead Oxides.
While painters were known to add lead oxides to pigments to assist them dry, the method has not been shown experimentally for paintings from da Vincis time. When the researchers searched through his works, the only evidence they found of PbO was in reference to skin and hair remedies, even though its now known to be quite poisonous. Though he might not have written it down, these results demonstrate that lead oxides should have belonged on the old masters scheme, and may have helped create the masterpieces we understand today.
Referral: “X-ray and Infrared Microanalyses of Mona Lisas Ground Layer and Significance Regarding Leonardo da Vincis Palette” by Victor Gonzalez, Gilles Wallez, Elisabeth Ravaud, Myriam Eveno, Ida Fazlic, Tiphaine Fabris, Austin Nevin, Thomas Calligaro, Michel Menu, Vincent Delieuvin and Marine Cotte, 11 October 2023, Journal of the American Chemical Society.DOI: 10.1021/ jacs.3 c07000.
The authors acknowledge financing from the European Unions Horizon 2020 research study and development program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions.
Recent studies highlight Leonardo da Vincis speculative usage of lead( II) oxide in the fundamental layers of his artworks, especially the “Mona Lisa” and “Last Supper,” which potentially played a function in forming his iconic masterpieces.
Leonardo da Vinci is renowned to this day for innovations in fields across the sciences and arts. Now, new analyses released in the Journal of the American Chemical Society show that his taste for experimentation extended even to the base layers underneath his paintings. Surprisingly, samples from both the “Mona Lisa” and the “Last Supper” recommend that he try out lead( II) oxide, triggering an uncommon substance called plumbonacrite to form listed below his art work.
The Mystery of da Vincis Paints and Pigments
An aura of secret has surrounded the paints and pigments in da Vincis studio, leading researchers to search his works and artwork to look for clues. Many paintings from the early 1500s, consisting of the “Mona Lisa,” were painted on wooden panels that needed a thick, “ground layer” of paint to be put down before artwork was included. Researchers have actually discovered that while other artists typically used gesso, da Vinci experimented by laying down thick layers of lead white pigment and by instilling his oil with lead( II) oxide, an orange pigment that gave particular drying residential or commercial properties to the paint above.
This small fleck of paint, drawn from the “Mona Lisa” is revealing insights into formerly unknown actions of the artists process. Credit: Adapted from the Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2023, DOI: 10.1021/ jacs.3 c07000.
He used a comparable method on the wall beneath the “Last Supper”– a departure from the conventional, fresco technique utilized at the time. To even more investigate these unique layers, Victor Gonzalez and associates wished to use updated, high-resolution analytical methods to little samples from these two paintings.
An aura of secret has actually surrounded the paints and pigments in da Vincis studio, leading researchers to search his writings and artwork to browse for clues. Scientists have found that while other artists usually used gesso, da Vinci experimented by laying down thick layers of lead white pigment and by instilling his oil with lead( II) oxide, an orange pigment that provided particular drying homes to the paint above.
Plumbonacrite is just stable under alkaline conditions, recommending that it formed from a response in between the oil and lead( II) oxide (PbO). While painters were understood to include lead oxides to pigments to assist them dry, the strategy has actually not been proved experimentally for paintings from da Vincis time.
