Table 1 Micro-samples of ultramarine-containing paints in Girl with a Pearl Earring
From: Out of the blue: Vermeer’s use of ultramarine in Girl with a Pearl Earring
Sample number/type/location | Analyses | Stratigraphy and pigments |
|---|---|---|
23 Cross-section Lower right edge of the blue headscarf | Sampled and analysed 1994 [6]: LM SEM–EDX Photographed 2008 Analysed 2018: LM SEM–EDX | Blue paint layer: ultramarine, chalk, (possibly very tiny amount of) lead white, indigo (from background glaze [9]) |
Black underlayer: mainly charcoal black | ||
23 Unmounted fragment Lower right edge of the blue headscarf | Sampled 1994 Analysed 2018: UHPLC-PDA-FLR | Organic components: indigo, unidentified yellow components |
41 Cross-section Dark blue in shadow on right of headscarf | Sampled and analysed 2018: LM SEM–EDX µ-FTIR-ATR Synchrotron µ-XANES/µ-XRF | Thick blue paint layer (up to 70 µm): ultramarine, chalk, lead white, red lake, gypsum |
Black underlayer (incomplete): mainly charcoal black | ||
42 Cross-section Bright blue in shadow on right of headscarf | Sampled and analysed 2018: LM SEM-EDX µ-FTIR-ATR Synchrotron µ-XANES/µ-XRF | Thin blue paint layer (c. 10 µm thick): ultramarine, chalk, lead white, red lake, gypsum |
Thin black underlayer (c. 10 µm thick): charcoal black, chalk, gypsum, a few aluminium-containing particles, palmierite (degradation product) | ||
Ground (up to 50 µm thick): chalk, lead white, earth pigments, fine carbon black | ||
14a Dislodged unmounted fragment Precise original location unknown: probably from the shadow of the Girl’s clothing | Sampled 1994 Analysed 2018: UHPLC-PDA-FLR (to compare organic components with those found in the headscarf) | Organic components: American cochineal |