Presentation Dana Abilmazhinova 19 sept Odéon

Dana Abilmazhinova, second year Master student at the University of Bologna, in internship at Archéosciences Bordeaux, presented her results at the Odéon of Archéosciences Bordeaux on Tuesday 19th September (11h30).

Her internship, funded by the GPR, focused on the study of materials (in particular paper and dyes) and their degradation in various polychrome prints in the collection of the Musée Goupil in Bordeaux.

Maison Goupil stood at the forefront of “art democratisation” in France, and later throughout Europe and the USA by making reproductions of famous artworks and selling them at more affordable prices. Scientific evidence to the decision-making by Goupil & Cie in the selection of raw materials for the printed reproductions was acquired in this study. In the preceding part of the project, eleven reproductions were selected for analyses, namely pXRF, portable digital Dino-light microscopy and HSI in Vis-NIR range.

Out of these, four lithographs were selected for further investigation using Total Reflection FTIR: “Dame de Liège (XVè siècle)”, “Dame Russe”, “Dame Anglaise du temps de Henri VIII” and “Ce n’est pas ma faute”. The characterisation of the materials, with particular attention to the pigments, dyes and the paper support, together with the assessment of their degradation, provided new insights into the artistic practices.

Thanks to this research, it was possible to reveal for the first time that under the façade of 'low-cost mass reproduction' of their works, Goupil skilfully produced pieces of exceptional quality, rich in intricate details.

Congratulations to Dana and her supervisors for this very interesting presentation !

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