Unraveling the Canvas Employed by Italian Painter
Carlo Ferrario in Large-Format Artworks at the National
Theater of Costa Rica
Volume 4 - Issue 3
MD Barrantes Madrigal1,2, Paula Calderón Mesén3, Mariela Agüero Barrantes4 and OA Herrera Sancho2,3,5,6*
- 1Escuela de Química, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2060 San Pedro, San José, Costa Rica
- 2Instituto de Investigaciones en Arte, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2060 San Pedro, San José, Costa Rica
- 3Centro de Investigación en Estructuras Microscópicas, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2060 San Pedro, San José, Costa Rica
- 4Museos del Banco Central de Costa Rica, 10104 San José, Costa Rica
- 5Escuela de Física, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2060 San Pedro, San José, Costa Rica
- 6Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Atómicas Nucleares y Moleculares, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2060 San Pedro, San José, Costa Rica
Received:July 02, 2021 Published: July 12, 2021
Corresponding author:OA Herrera Sancho, Instituto de Investigaciones en Arte, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2060 San Pedro, San José,
Costa Rica
DOI: 10.32474/JAAS.2021.04.000190
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Abstract
The comprehensive study of artworks is key to understanding the temporal evolution of all the factors that surround it. A
painting is generally composed of multiple layers and materials which are hidden from the naked eye because their surface colors
are highly captivating. However, a fundamental pillar of an artwork is the canvas which usually has a special preparation to obtain the
final finish desired by the artist. Here, we study the canvas employed by Italian painter Carlo Ferrario in two large-format paintings
at the National Theater of Costa Rica. The main goal of the current research was to determine the state of conservation and major
materials of the canvases used by the artist. We systematically explored samples of these canvases by means of Optical Microscopy,
Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy. We were
able to identify the canvas as, potentially, hemp based on morphological characteristics of the fiber.
We estimated the amount of fatty acids by means of Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy resulting primarily in suberic,
azelaic, sebasic, palmitic (C16), and stearic (C18). Hence, it could conceivably be hypothesised that the pictorial method in the studied
paintings corresponds to the oil technique. This combination of findings provides support to establish efficient methodologies to
the diagnosis of the conservation state of canvases. Furthermore, to comprehend that preserving these works of art for future
generations as part of our Costa Rican cultural heritage demands a deeper understanding of the paintings, especially given that art
conservation in the tropics is a topic still largely unexplored.
Keywords: Canvas; Hemp; Analytical Chemistry; Characterization and Analytical Techniques; Cultural Heritage
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