Application of 3D digital image correlation to track displacements and strains of canvas paintings exposed to relative humidity changes.

This paper introduces a methodology for tracking displacements in canvas paintings exposed to relative humidity changes. Displacements are measured by means of the 3D digital image correlation method that is followed by a postprocessing of displacement data, which allows the separation of local displacements from global displacement maps. The applicability of this methodology is tested on measurements of a model painting on canvas with introduced defects causing local inhomogeneity.

Structural examination of easel paintings with optical coherence tomography.

Identification of the order, thickness, composition, and possibly the origin of the paint layers forming the structure of a painting, that is, its stratigraphy, is important in confirming its attribution and history as well as planning conservation treatments. The most common method of examination is analysis of a sample collected from the art object, both visually with a microscope and instrumentally through a variety of sophisticated, modern analytical tools. Because of its invasiveness, however, sampling is less than ideally compatible with conservation ethics; it is severely restricted with respect to the amount of material extirpated from the artwork.