Portrait of a Woman Robert Feke (American, ). Portrait of a Woman, 1748. Oil on canvas, 49 3/8 x 39 9/16 in. ( x cm). The Conservator's Eye An X radiograph of this portrait reveals a compositional change invisible to the naked eye: the elimination of an elaborate blue drape that initially hung from the sitter’s right shoulder and wrapped around her waist. This hidden feature shows up in the radiograph because Robert Feke used lead white pigment to paint the highlights. Lead is a dense material that absorbs X-rays, causing the highlights to appear white in the radiogr
Portrait of a Woman Robert Feke (American, ). Portrait of a Woman, 1748. Oil on canvas, 49 3/8 x 39 9/16 in. ( x cm). The Conservator's Eye An X radiograph of this portrait reveals a compositional change invisible to the naked eye: the elimination of an elaborate blue drape that initially hung from the sitter’s right shoulder and wrapped around her waist. This hidden feature shows up in the radiograph because Robert Feke used lead white pigment to paint the highlights. Lead is a dense material that absorbs X-rays, causing the highlights to appear white in the radiograph, even where they have been covered with additional paint. The blue color of the draping is visible within the cracks under strong magnification. Feke made this change late in the painting process, but it is unknown if the change was made at the sitter’s request. American Art 1748
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Photo credit: © BBM / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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