17th century Umbrian School Madonna and Child

17th century Umbrian School Madonna and Child

17th century Umbrian School Madonna and Child

Scientific Methods

This is a devotional panel painting depicting the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, likely dating to the 16th-17th centtury Umbrian school.
Mary is shown half-length, gently inclined toward the Child, her expression soft and introspective. Her lowered eyes and delicate features convey tenderness and humility.
The Christ Child sits on her arm, facing the viewer. He raises one hand in a gesture of blessing, while the other rests naturally by his side.
Both figures wear golden halos, rendered with simple circular forms rather than elaborate punchwork, suggesting a modest workshop or provincial context.
The background is dark and plain, originally intended to heighten the spiritual focus on the figures. Small remnants of decorative elements—such as the gold star on the left—hint at a once richer symbolic setting.
The painting is in poor condition, with extensive paint loss, flaking, abrasions, and areas where the ground layer is exposed. The surface shows widespread cracking and losses, especially in the background and along the edges.
The simplified modeling, warm earth tones, and frontal composition suggest a work intended for private devotion rather than public display.
The overall style bridges Byzantine icon tradition (hieratic pose, gold halos) and Western naturalism (soft facial modeling, childlike proportions).
Even in its damaged state, the painting retains a strong sense of intimacy and devotional purpose, offering insight into everyday religious imagery rather than courtly or monumental art.
CHSOS Collection – item #24

Training: Scientific Methods for Art Examination (December 2025)

This item was analyzed as a case study during the 3-day Training Program on the Scientific Methods for Art Examination hold in December 2025. I would like to thank the participants, Nicole, painting conservator based in Miami and Irwin, radiographer from New York, for conducting the examination and for sharing their expertise while practicing the scientific analysis methods.
Registration open for the Next Training Program!

Technical Photography

The RAK image reveals numerous cracks, areas of paint loss, and flaking. In several locations, the original ground layer is also missing, exposing the underlying panel support.
The UVF image shows several retouched areas, which appear darker, including one located along the side of the painting.
We also observed retouched areas exhibiting a yellowish UV fluorescence, particularly in the facial region. These retouches were applied with very thin paint layers and therefore do not appear as surface relief in the RAK image.
VISUVF
In the UVR image, the Child’s face becomes dark, while the Madonna’s face remains bright. This contrast may indicate differences in the white pigments used—specifically, lead white in the Madonna’s face versus titanium white in the Child’s face, which absorbs UV radiation. Alternatively, the effect could be explained by the presence of a thicker UV-absorbing varnish on the Child’s face, whereas the Madonna’s face may have been more lightly cleaned.
The IR image allows the detection of older retouches. These are no longer visible in the UVF image because they lie beneath an older varnish layer. In particular, on the Madonna’s mantle, the dark blue retouching pigment is transparent in the infrared, whereas the original blue pigment absorbs IR radiation.

The IRF image shows no evidence of cadmium-based pigments.

VISIR

Infrared Reflectography (IRR)

The Infrared Reflectography (IRR) image was created by stitching together a total of 15 images acquired using our panoramic head VALERIA and an InGaAs camera (320 × 256 pixels). In the IRR region, the blue of the Madonna’s veil and mantle becomes more transparent, allowing additional retouches to be detected. The characteristic behaviour of pigments in the IRR region also aids their identification. For example, the behaviour of this blue pigment—very dark and absorbent in the IR region, but transparent in IRR—is typical of azurite, making it a plausible candidate for this painted area.

XRF Spectroscopy

XRF spectroscopy Analysis

The historical age of the painting is supported by the complex assemblage of elements detected by XRF spectroscopy.

One of the main features of the work is the widespread presence of lead and antimony, suggesting the extensive use of Naples yellow, employed for multiple purposes ranging from the background to the flesh tones and areas associated with gilding. The presence of tin, detected in the gilded areas (point 7) and in the dress (point 5), further suggests the use of lead–tin yellow.

The areas depicting the Madonna and Child (points 3 and 4) show only the elements expected for a painting of this period, mainly lead and iron, indicating that these zones are likely well preserved and free from significant later interventions. Mercury was detected in the red garments (point 5), consistent with the use of vermilion.

The star on the Madonna’s mantle (point 6) contains gold, in addition to the usual presence of lead and antimony, indicating a gilded decoration. This choice suggests a level of material richness that exceeds what might be expected for a modest devotional painting.

Several areas affected by later retouching were identified. In particular, titanium (Ti) was detected in some background areas (points 1 and 2), clearly indicating modern retouches executed with titanium white.

The Madonna’s veil (point 8) shows the presence of cobalt and bismuth, strongly suggesting the original use of smalt. In contrast, the mantle contains copper (point 10), indicating the use of azurite as the blue pigment.

Finally, the analysis of the wooden support revealed the presence of bromine, most likely attributable to brominated biocides or insecticidal treatments applied in the past against woodworm infestation (e.g. methyl bromide fumigation or related preservatives).

Training 2026