The Material Object

What can we learn from the materials that make up the art object?

Explore the themes below to find out.

What about the frame?

While we are inclined to think of frames as purely decorative objects, they can be of great historical significance to researchers. Find out more about some of the frames studied in this project.

Watermarks

What are watermarks, and why do they matter? Find out more about the hidden clues that are embedded in some of our works on paper.

What's in a pigment?

What can the blue pigment used in River Landscape by Moonlight teach us about this painting’s age, authorship, and authenticity?

Back of wood frame
Laid paper pattern and watermark comprised of a jester's head, the number 4, and three stacked circles
magnified image of a cross section of an embedded paint sample in uv light

What about the frame?

While we are inclined to think of frames as purely decorative objects, they can be of great historical significance to researchers. Find out more about some of the frames studied in this project.

Back of wood frame

Watermarks

What are watermarks, and why do they matter? Find out more about the hidden clues that are embedded in some of our works on paper.

Laid paper pattern and watermark comprised of a jester's head, the number 4, and three stacked circles

What's in a pigment?

What can the blue pigment used in River Landscape by Moonlight teach us about this painting’s age, authorship, and authenticity?

magnified image of a cross section of an embedded paint sample in uv light