Using Computed Weave Maps to Gain Art-Historical Insight from Vermeer’s
Canvases
Dr. C. Richard Johnson, Jr., Cornell University
http://www.frick.org/research/digital_art_history_lab_lectures
Tuesday, May 2, 2017 – 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m
The Thread Count Automation Project (TCAP) launched by Professor Johnson in
2007 discovered striped patterns in color-coded images of local thread
densities obtained from digital image processing of x-radiographs of Old
Master paintings on canvas. These striped patterns provide a “fingerprint”
for pieces of canvas cut from the same roll. This spurred a four-year
effort assisted by Walter Liedtke, one of the world’s leading scholars of
Dutch and Flemish paintings, to gather x-radiographs of all thirty-four
paintings on canvas by the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675). Six
matching pairs of roll-mates have been identified thus far that provide
evidence regarding authentication, dating, and—potentially—artistic intent.
In addition to weave density maps, images were created of thread angle from
their nominal horizontal and vertical directions. These angle maps provide
forensic information regarding warp/weft thread designation and cusping,
which offers insight into Vermeer’s studio practice and the possible
re-sizing of his paintings since their creation. The insights generated by
computed weave maps arising from the application of digital image
processing are pioneering contributions from engineering to the emerging
field of computational art history.
After the presentation The Frick Collection’s Associate Research Curator
Margaret Iacono will hold a conversation with Dr. Johnson about his
discoveries regarding some of Vermeer’s masterpieces, including The
Collection’s iconic Mistress and Maid.
All lectures are held from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Music Room of The
Frick Collection. They are free and open to the public, but registration is
required. To register, please contact dahlprograms@frick.org
