infocus #1 March 2006 Scientific dating of paintings

Scientific dating of paintings is used by a wide range of related fields to provide independent means of verification. This paper outlines the principle approaches that are used, some problems with current methodology, and a potential solution through the application of simple mathematical modelling to the occurrences of materials and techniques in paintings.

DOI: 10.22443/rms.inf.1.1

At the present time science has no reliable and accurate means for the absolute dating of a painting. Calendrical methods such as the familiar radiocarbon dating, or likewise dendrochronology (‘tree-ring dating’) are unsuitable. Instead, much of the scientific work determining dates of paintings takes a sideways approach, relying on the identification of key pigments or techniques whose dates of introduction or disuse are known. For example, a painting that looks like a Rembrandt can’t be by him if it contains the pigment Prussian blue, because that compound wasn’t available until well after Rembrandt’s lifetime.

Return to listing