Scientific examination of Titian´s paintings in the KHM

In a pilot project jointly undertaken by the Picture Gallery, the Scientific Dept. and the Conservation Studio of the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM), the museum`s holdings, of works by Titian, were examined and studied based on existing historical sources, in addition to being subjected to scientific and technological analysis. The overall investigation was designed to address questions with respect to material, technique, dating, iconography, picture genesis, provenience, changes in format and restoration history. The interdisciplinary methodology that was employed provided answers to many open questions. The aim of the follow-up project is the completion of the scholarly catalogue of Titian`s painting technique, based on the works examined from the collection of the Kunshistorisches Museum. Expanded facilities for analysis in- house and international co-operation agreements now make possible use of supplementary methods of examination, such as gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS), x-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), infrared reflectography, and neutron autoradiography. The examinations carried out in the first project have also shown that many works by Titian from Vienna are related directly to works by the artist in other collections. Contacts with other institutions, such as the Prado in Madrid, the Louvre in Paris or the National Gallery in London, will make possible use of hitherto unpublished reference material on Titian`s paintings. Finally, our findings on Titian`s painting technique are to be compared with the principal, contemporary, written sources. The planned catalogue will present the project`s findings in a context that combines the perspectives of various disciplines and the resources of different art institutions in order to cast light on Titian`s masterly technique, his innovations and joy in experiment. All of these exercised a decisive influence on subsequent generations of painters. This interdisciplinary project is a unique opportunity to bring to light the examination of one of the most important holdings of Titian paintings in a public institution, spanning the complete career of the artist. The research is performed at the highest technical and scholarly level. Numerous recent publications in the field document the timeliness of the subject (Dunkerton et al. 1999, Sackler 2003, Penny 2004).

In a pilot project jointly undertaken by the Picture Gallery, the Scientific Dept. and the Conservation Studio of the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM), the museum`s holdings, of works by Titian, were examined and studied based on existing historical sources, in addition to being subjected to scientific and technological analysis. The overall investigation was designed to address questions with respect to material, technique, dating, iconography, picture genesis, provenience, changes in format and restoration history. The interdisciplinary methodology that was employed provided answers to many open questions. The aim of the follow-up project is the completion of the scholarly catalogue of Titian`s painting technique, based on the works examined from the collection of the Kunshistorisches Museum. Expanded facilities for analysis in- house and international co-operation agreements now make possible use of supplementary methods of examination, such as gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS), x-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), infrared reflectography, and neutron autoradiography. The examinations carried out in the first project have also shown that many works by Titian from Vienna are related directly to works by the artist in other collections. Contacts with other institutions, such as the Prado in Madrid, the Louvre in Paris or the National Gallery in London, will make possible use of hitherto unpublished reference material on Titian`s paintings. Finally, our findings on Titian`s painting technique are to be compared with the principal, contemporary, written sources. The planned catalogue will present the project`s findings in a context that combines the perspectives of various disciplines and the resources of different art institutions in order to cast light on Titian`s masterly technique, his innovations and joy in experiment. All of these exercised a decisive influence on subsequent generations of painters. This interdisciplinary project is a unique opportunity to bring to light the examination of one of the most important holdings of Titian paintings in a public institution, spanning the complete career of the artist. The research is performed at the highest technical and scholarly level. Numerous recent publications in the field document the timeliness of the subject (Dunkerton et al. 1999, Sackler 2003, Penny 2004).