Hands reach towards one of many bowls containing various powders substances

Gallery installation of didactic material summarizing and presenting to the public some of the scientific findings of the project. Design credit: R. Checchi

Using a broad array of spectroscopic and imaging techniques, this ambitious study of the paintings of Pacino, his workshop, and his collaborator, the Master of the Dominican Effigies, begins to shed light on the materials used across Pacino's expansive production and the techniques employed in his workshop.

By contributing to the foundation of technical data of material used by 14th-century artists, this research provided both scholars and the public with a unique window into this important period of transition within the history of Florentine painting. To this end, the technical portion of the study was featured in the exhibitions Florence at the Dawn of the Renaissance: Painting and Illumination, 1300–1350 (Getty Center) and Revealing the Early Renaissance: Stories and Secrets in Early Florentine Art (Art Gallery of Ontario).

Drawing on the results of this research project, visitors to the exhibitions were introduced to the pigments, binding media, and other materials used in Pacino's workshop, and to the tools he used to create illuminated manuscripts and panel paintings through a didactic display that examines the creation of these works of art.

The conservation implications of these materials were represented through several objects on display, including the Chiarito Tabernacle, which has experienced several color changes and the failure of some paint layers. The tabernacle, beautiful and mesmerizing in its current condition, was shown alongside the partial digital reconstruction developed during this research project. Visitors were able to see the dramatic changes produced by Pacino's original material choices and, through this, to develop a keener understanding of the challenges facing the conservation of works of art, and a glimpse into how 14th-century Florentines experienced the painting.

Visitors were also given a view into the analytical techniques and technical imaging approaches used by conservation scientists and conservators during the course of this research project. Using the electromagnetic spectrum as the connective link, examples of images and chemical analysis spectral data are illustrated, and their significance explained. This material makes clear to the visitor how scientists and conservators work together to study works of art to both enhance our understanding of these objects and inform their long-term conservation.

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