Wood and Art. Methods of technical art history: wood analysis for interpretation of art Works

The intensive seminar will concentrate on the possibilities and problems of the technical study of art works on wood or made of wood and the usefulness of such studies for the interpretation of these objects. The topics covered will be: different methods of dendrochronology (invasive and non-invasive), lumberjack marks, other tool marks, construction of wooden panels, aging and conservation issues, etc.

Dates: 16.–18. February 2015
Venue: Niguliste Museum, Art Museum of Estonia, Tallinn
Number of participants: lectures – not limited; workshops – max 20.
Target group: 
Students (PhD and MA level) and professionals dealing with cultural heritage, conservation, conservation science and (technical) art history. See requirements below.
Credits: 1–2 ECTS
Hosting institutions: Department of Conservation and Cultural Heritage, Estonian Academy of Arts; Art Museum of Estonia; Graduate School of Culture Studies and Arts (GSCSA)
Programme director: Dr Hilkka Hiiop (Estonian Academy of Arts/Art Museum of Estonia)
Programme manager: Dr Anneli Randla (Estonian Academy of Arts)
Student coordinator: Ms Heili Sõrmus (Estonian Academy of Arts) heili.sormus@artun.ee

Guest lecturers:
Dr Aoife Daly (Centre for Art Technological Studies and Conservation – CATS),
Dr Alar Läänelaid (associate professor (on landscape ecology), Dept. of Geography, University of Tartu),
Prof Dr Jorgen Wadum (Director of Conservation at Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK), Director of the Centre for Art Technological Studies and Conservation (CATS), Professor in Conservation & Restoration at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Amsterdam)

PROGRAMME

16.02 – Dendrochronology as a method for acquiring research data

Morning session – lectures

9:30-11.00 Dr Aoife Daly “Beyond chronology – stories from a world of wood”
11:00-11:30 coffee break
11:30 – 13:00 Dr Alar Läänelaid “Principles of dendrochronology and applications with some examples from Estonia”
14:00 – 17:00 Afternoon session – practical workshop
Selected artworks in Niguliste museum will be used to carry out dendrochronological investigation. Dating programs and equipment to carry out the research will be introduced and applied. Different methods (destructive and non-destructive) will be discussed.

17.02 – Information acquired by dendrochronology – case studies

Morning session – lectures

9:30 – 11:00 Dr Aoife Daly, “Timber trade in Northern Europe – a tree-ring journey”
11:00 – 11:30 coffee break
11:30 – 13:00 Dr Alar Läänelaid “Dendrochronological dating of art items: experience in Estonia”
14:00 – 17:00 Afternoon session – practical workshop
Selected artworks in Niguliste museum will be used to carry out dendrocronological investigation. Dating programs and equipment to carry out the research will be introduced and applied. Different methods (destructive and non-destructive) will be discussed.

18.02 – How to read wood: lumber jack marks, tool marks and construction of wooden panels

Morning session – lectures
9:00-11:00 Dr Jorgen Wadum, “The metamorphosis of a tree into an altar or panel painting”
12:00-16:00 Afternoon session – practical workshop
Selected artworks in Niguliste museum will be examined for tool marks and master marks and the significance will be compared and related to the morning lecture for a deeper understanding of the production process. Interdisciplinary discussions in front of the objects.

LECTURERS

Dr. Aoife Daly is a Research Fellow at Centre for Art Technological Studies and Conservation (CATS) at Statens Museum for Kunst, and also freelance at dendro.dk. 

Aoife is a dendrochronologist and archaeologist. From analyses of wood from historic and archaeological contexts, Aoife works with timber, not just to discover their dating, but also to ascertain their provenance. She studies timber as a building material, trading commodity, resource (abundant or dwindling) and as an indicator of trade contacts between regions in Northern Europe over the last ca. 2000 years. The precise dating and identification of area of origin that are obtained by these tree-ring analyses, coupled with the find context and usage of the timber (castle, church, ship, barrel, art object, etc.) enables a detailed cultural-historical interpretation. Recent publications include Bill, J., Dalen, K.S., Daly, A. og Johnsen, Ø., 2012. Dendro CT – dendrochronology without damage. Dendrochronologia 30 (2012) 223–230, on non-invasive tree-ring analysis, and Daly, A & Läänelaid, A., 2012. The dendrochronological dating of three paintings in the style of Bosch/Bruegel. in E. Hermens (ed.) On the Trail of Bosch and Bruegel: Four Paintings under Magnification. Archetype Publications/SMK, 47-55.

Professor Dr. Jørgen Wadum is Director of Conservation at Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK), the national gallery of Denmark, and Director of the Centre for Art Technological Studies and Conservation (CATS), a research consortium between SMK, The National Museum of Denmark (NMD), and the School of Conservation (KADK), Copenhagen. He additionally holds the position as full Professor in Conservation & Restoration at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Amsterdam. He trained as a flower painter, an art historian, and as a paintings conservator. Since the 1980’s he has specialised in the painting techniques of the 16th and 17th century Dutch and Flemish artists. From 1990 through 2004 he was Chief Conservator at the Mauritshuis, The Hague. He was a founding member of ArtMatters: International Journal for Technical Art History, and he has published and lectured extensively internationally on a multitude of subjects related to technical art history and other issues of importance for the understanding and keeping of our cultural heritage. Wadum holds positions in several international organisations and committees.

Dr Alar Läänelaid was graduated as a botanist from Tartu State University in 1974. He defensed a Candidate of Sciences degree on tree rings of pine growing in bogs (Tartu, 1979). Continued studying annual rings of growing trees, historical buildings, and archaeological wood at the University of Tartu. Dendrochronology skills obtained from the University of Hamburg. PhD degree on tree-ring research in Estonia defensed at the University of Helsinki in 2002. Recent investigations comprise dendroclimatology as well as dating of painting panels and violins. See home page at http://www.geo.ut.ee/laanelaid/, list of publications athttps://www.etis.ee/portal/portaal/isikuPublikatsioonid.aspx?TextBoxName=alar+l%u00e4%u00e4nelaid&PersonVID=529&lang=et&FromUrl0=isikud.aspx

Requirements for participation and credits

Interested graduate students can apply for the investigation workshop by February 6, 2015 at http://www.nigulistemuuseum.ee/en/niguliste-exhibitions/on-view/workshop-wood-and-art

Participation in the course is free of charge; accommodation and travel costs of the students of GSCSA will be reimbursed.

The language of the workshop is English. Students are expected to do preparatory reading in order to participate in the course workshop. Links to the texts will be sent arter registration.

Upon participation in all lectures and discussions (the morning sessions) graduate students will be awarded 1 ECT. The number of participants in the lectures is unlimited.

Upon participation in all lectures and practical workshops in Niguliste (the morning and afternoon sessions) the graduate students will be awarded 2 ECT. The number of participants in the workshops in Tallinn is limited to 20.

The event is supported by the European Union through the European Social Fund (Estonian Graduate School of Culture Studies and Arts) and Art Museum of Estonia.