Table 5 Occurrences of smalt in Netherlandish and French sixteenth-century paintings in the National Gallery, in chronological order, with quantitative elemental analysis (weight% oxide) and Co:As ratio (atomic%)
Artist, painting and date | Location of smalt | Na2O | Al2O3 | SiO2 | K2O | CaO | FeO | CoO | NiO | As2O3 | Bi2O3 | Co/As at.% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Follower of Jan van Scorel A Man with Pansies and a Skull (NG1036), about 1535 | Purple sleeves, mixed with fluorite, lead white and azurite | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ |
Master of the Prodigal Son, Pietà (NG266), about 1550 | Virgin’s blue cloak | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ |
Pieter Breughel the Elder, The Adoration of the Kings (NG3556), 1564 | Virgin’s blue cloak and sky (with lead white) | 0.3 | 0.2 | 59.8 | 15.9 | 3.7 | 6.7 | 7.7 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 1.3 | 2.8 |
Joachim Beuckelaer, The Four Elements: Earth (NG6585), 1569 | Beige (discoloured) paint of apron of woman in background | 0.2 | 0.6 | 69.8 | 11.3 | 0.4 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 0.6 | 7.5 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
Joachim Beuckelaer. The Four Elements: Water (NG6586), 1569 | Greyish (discoloured) sky, with lead white | 0.2 | 0.6 | 77.0 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 10.0 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
Joachim Beuckelaer, The Four Elements: Air (NG6587), 1570 | Greyish (discoloured) paint on the sleeve of the woman at the left | 0.5 | 0.2 | 72.3 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 0.9 | 11.5 | 1.6 | 0.6 |
Joachim Beuckelaer, The Four Elements: Fire (NG6588), 1570 | Greyish (discoloured) sky, with lead white, greyish paint on sleeve of woman at the left | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ |
François Quesnel, Portrait of a Lady (NG2617), about 1575 | Pink dress; underpaint (with lead white, red lake), upper layer (with red lake) | 0.1 | 0.5 | 72.0 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 4.8 | 0.9 | 11.9 | 2.4 | 0.5 |
Follower of Marten de Vos, A Little Girl with a Basket of Cherries (NG6161), probably 1575–80 | Blue dress, on top of underpaint containing indigo | 0.3 | 1.5 | 70.4 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 5.2 | 0.4 | 16.3 | 1.2 | 0.4 |
Frans Pourbus the Elder, Portrait of Dom Andreas Boulengier (NG6412), about 1580 | Brown background, with red earth, yellow earth, black and some red lake in underpaint, and as the main component in the upper layer, with red lake and black | 0.1 | 0.5 | 72.0 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 0.7 | 11.1 | 2.8 | 0.6 |