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Blue-hued scattering in Flemish Ba-


roque and Dutch Golden Age paintings
Sophie de Behault
University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Blue-hued scattering in Flemish Baroque and Dutch Golden Age paintings
Sophie de Behault
University of Amsterdam
ABSTRACT: 17
th
century artists obtained blue colours due
to wavelength-dependent scattering by using highly light-
scattering pigments having specific particle size and shape.
A blue-hued scattering may then appear by overlapping
layers, but also by pigment mixtures (case never identified
before). It may be strongly discoloured by aging
degradations. It has been extensively used by Rubens and
the Dutch Golden Age painters. Rubens is likely to have
scientifically investigated this phenomenon.
1. INTRODUCTION: A paint layer may appear blue
without containing any blue pigments. This may be
explained by different phenomena. One of them is the
blue-hued scattering [1]. The hypothesis put forward is
that this one was obtained by artists of several periods by
reducing and calibrating the particle size of pigments. This
technique would have been largely exploited by 16
th
century Venetian artists and transmitted to the Dutch
Golden Age painters. True investigation about this topic
has never been undertaken in the past. This paper aims to
give the first overview of the necessary characteristics of
the paint layer.
2. CREATION OF THE PHENOMENON IN PAINT
LAYER: The physical phenomenon of blue-hued scattering
is very distinct from other optical effects used by artists. In
both the art historical context and in conservation science,
the colour of a pigment is usually thought to only depend
on its light absorption abilities. However, in cases of blue-
hued scattering, it is obtained by selective scattering of
light. In simplest cases, it appears in paint layers containing
white and black pigments. White pigment particles need to
have a smaller size than the wavelengths of light. As a
consequence, they backscatter more intensively light with
shorter wavelengths, i.e. blue light. This is wavelength-
dependent scattering. It may be Rayleighs or Mies ones.
However, main part of the particles found in paint layers
has size causing Mies one. In the context of a paint layer,
wavelength-dependent scattering leads blue light to
penetrate less deeply than red. If a paint layer exclusively
contains such white pigments, all of the wavelengths are
reflected back. The colour appears white. In the presence
of dark pigment, it appears blue. In this case, penetrating
deeper red light encounters more dark particles. It
therefore has a greater possibility of getting absorbed. As a
consequence, the light reflected from paint layer appears
blue. Two layer models are related to blue-hued
scattering. Dark particles may be mixed together with
those causing wavelength-dependent scattering (model 1)
or be part of an underlying layer (model 2). Hybrid cases
appear to be common. The apparition of blue-hued
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Model 2. Overlapping layers
Model 1. Pigment mixture.
Fig.1 Models of paint layers causing blue-hued scattering.
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Fig.2 Schematic reflectance curve of
blue-hued scattering.
scattering requires very specific conditions. These are
related to characteristics of pigment particles causing
wavelength-dependent scattering (size, shape, colour,
polycrystallinity level) and to those of paint layers (layer
thicknesses, building up, transparency, pigment
concentrations and dispersions). This large amount of
variables leads to many possible cases. The spectrum of
blue-hued scattering
has the particularity
of having a very
regular slope. The
intensity of the
reflectance
decreases gradually
when going from
shorter to longer
wavelengths. The
related painting
effects lead to more vivid colours than those obtained
mixing the pigments available in this time period. Blue-hued
scattering seems to have been used for creating green,
violet and purple colours; the latter two of which were not
available as contemporary pigments either as natural
minerals or colorants. Example may be found in the
painting Samson and Deliah by Peter Paul Rubens [2]. The
blue hues of the blue-grey coat of the man cutting
Samsons hair, and the purple drapery in the background
seem to have essentially been obtained by these means.
The 17
th
century artists also exploited blue-hued scattering
to reproduce natural colour effects due to wavelength-
dependent scattering, for instance, the blueness of the sky
or that of the veins under ones skin. They have similar
reflectance curves. Apparently, these artists were sensitive
to this similarity in hue as they used blue-hued scattering
to represent the relative areas in paintings. As an example,
the second model of blue-hued scattering can be easily
found in the cool half-tones of flesh areas of many artists
of this time. The intensity of blue-hued scattering depends
on many factors and the situation in paint layer is
extremely complex. However, the final reflectance can be
predicted with relative accuracy by recurring to
mathematical considerations. Such methods will be used in
the coming researches in order to estimate blueness level
due to wavelength- dependent scattering.
3. DUTCH GOLDEN AGE ART TECHNOLOGIES: The
creation of colour effects due to blue-hued scattering
requires high technical skills, since many factors affect the
blueness of such paint layers. Lead white with the required
particle size could have been obtained by synthesising tiny
particles during the stack process, which was the common
production method during the Dutch Golden Age. Tiny
particles could have been obtained by hand-grinding
pigments for a long time. Smaller particles seem to have
been selected by means of gravity sedimentation, by
putting the pigment in a liquid and selecting the lighter
particles that settled down slower. This method could
have been executed during subsequent washing of lead
white pigment. This stage is necessary for high-grade lead
white. The particle size causing
blue light can be identified by
observing light passing through
the decanting water. The light is
decomposed in a similar way than
in paint layer. Light source
appears red when observed
through the liquid and blue light
can be observed on top of the jar.
Fig.3. Particle size distribution
analyses of paint layers [3]
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Fig.3 Pigment causing
blue-hued scattering
suspended in water. Light
passing through appears red
and blue.
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Lead white - Particle size distribution
0
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30
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Particle Size (nm)
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provide us with very useful information. For instance, they
allow identifying cases of blue-hued scattering, but also
cases obtained by means of gravity sedimentation
methods. Lead white particles causing blue-hued scattering
are those with diameter roughly ranging under 500 nm.
High proportion of these particles leads to discriminable
blue-hued scattering. The shape of the peak may also give
indications about techniques used for obtaining suitable
size distribution. Normally, lead white has a bimodal size
distribution with a peak around 500 nm and some much
larger particles, consisting of clustered monocrystals. A flat
shape with larger amount of smaller particles would attest
the recourse to hand-grinding. Asymmetric standard
deviations from the peak lead to assume that gravity
sedimentation method have been used. Another
illustration of the high sophistication level reached by
artists consists of their recourse to material preventing the
crowding phenomenon from happening. In a situation of
crowding phenomenon, light scattered on each particle
interferes with light from the neighbouring particles. This
leads to a decrease in intensity of the light scattering. They
used extenders (calcite) and glassy materials (lakes, smalt)
to this effect. Because of their very low relative refractive
indices [4], they result transparent in oily binding media.
They optimise then distances between light scattering
particles, leading to an increase in intensity of blue-hued
scattering.
4. TRANSMISSION OF THE TECHNICAL
KNOWLEDGE: Examples of blue-hued scattering of both
layer models have already been identified. Cases appear to
be common in paintings of the Dutch Golden Age.
However, no reference to these techniques has yet been
found in technical literature of this period. Most probably,
these techniques were professional secrets transmitted
from one artist to another. Rubens, who intensively
exploited blue-hued scattering in his paintings, is assumed
to have investigated the physical phenomenon, and to have
transmitted his technical knowledge to his school. He was
recognised by his contemporaries for his scientific
knowledge. He would have occupied himself with
theoretical considerations about several topics related to
the depiction of the reality in paintings. Considerations
about blue-hued scattering are very likely to have been
found in his treatises. However, these books have never
been published and appear to be almost completely lost. A
second type of source consists of the Rubens paintings. In
1608, just after his grand tour in Italy and Spain, the young
Rubens assisted Franciscus Aguilonius, a Jesuit physicist, in
the writing of a treatise about optics, the Opticorum Libri
Sex, in Brussels. Rubens designed the illustrations. Many
clues seem to suggest that he was also involved in the
theoretical contents. The Juno and Argos painting [5] was
executed during the period of closest contact between
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Fig.4 Example of
particle size
distribution leading
to blue-hued
scattering from a 17
th
C. painting. The
asymmetric standard
deviations suggests the
recourse to gravity
sedimentation.
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Fig.5 Quiringh Brekelenkam,
Woman cupping, c. 1660.
Detail of blueish apron. The colour
change is considered to be due to
saponification of lead white. The bluer
part only suffered slight lead
saponification and corresponds more
to the original appearance of the paint.
- Image courtesy of the Conservation
Department, Royal Picture Gallery
Mauritshuis.


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Rubens and Aguilonius. It contains several references to his
treatise and evidently forms an illustration of the theory
behind blue-hued scattering. This painting is currently the
object of further investigations by the author.
5. DISCOLOURATION DUE TO AGING: Blue-hued
scattering is suspected to be strongly affected by aging
processes. The yellowing of binding media could cause
extinction of blue-hued scattering. This degradation
process is caused by fluorescence, but also by increased
light-absorption with the shortening of wavelengths of
light. The latest would cause an off-setting of visible
spectrum observed in cases of blue-hued scattering. On
the other hand, an increase in the refractive index of the
binding medium would have a strong effect when blue-
hued scattering is obtained by overlapping paint layers
(model 2). The accurate balance between scattered and
absorbed light depending on wavelengths would be
broken. Reflected light would tend more to the colour of
the underlying layer than to a blue hue. Eventually,
degradation due to lead saponification has dramatic effects.
Lead saponification causes progressive consumption of
pigment particles. The size reduction is faster by smaller
particles, which disappear first. The consequent
disappearance of particles causing wavelength-dependent
scattering leads to the extinction of blue-hued scattering.
Identification of discolouration cases in painting is crucial
to our understanding of 17
th
century paintings. Estimation
of the discolouration levels will be the main goal of the
future researches related to blue-hued scattering.
6. CONCLUSION: Painters of the Flemish Baroque period
and Dutch Golden Age used wavelength-dependent
scattering to create blue hues. The related painting effects
lead to the obtainment of vivid colours or colours
reproducing similar natural phenomena. Confronting
physical theory with analysis of Dutch Golden Age
paintings rendered possible a preliminary evaluation of the
technical knowledge reached by the painters. It already
clearly appears that this is higher than what is commonly
thought. It is arguable that the techniques were part of the
secrets transmitted from one artist to another. This could
be the reason why their knowledge has progressively been
forgotten with time. Rubens is suspected to have paid
particular attention to the understanding of the physical
phenomenon and to have used the painting Juno and Argos
as an illustration of it. Several aging phenomena are
suspected to lead to its extinction. Since blue-hued
scattering has never been thoroughly investigated before,
its survey is still at a very early stage. Further researches
are already planned and will require an interdisciplinary
approach.
REFERENCES:
[1] The phenomenon is usually referred to as optical blue,
opalescence, turbid medium effect or undertone of the
pigment.
[2] Painted in 1609-1610, National Gallery of London.
[3] Information obtained from SEM-bse images, by using particle
size distribution analysis software. Particles were considered as
spherical by simplification.
[4] The refractive index of the pigment divided by that of the
binding medium.
[5] Painted after 1608 and before 1611, Wallraf-Richartz Museum
(Cologne).
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BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Aguilonius, F., Opticorum Libri Sex philosophis iuxta ac mathematicis
utiles, Officina Plantiniana, 1613.
Boon, J.J., Weerd, J. van der, Keune, K., Noble, P. and Wadum, J.
(2002). Mechanical and chemical changes in Old Master paintings:
dissolution, metal soap formation and remineralisation process in
lead pigmented ground/intermediate paint layers of the 17
th
century paintings ICOM-CC 13
th
Triennial Meeting Preprints:
401-406, James and James.
Debnath, N.C. and Kotkar, D.D. (1998). Theoretical studies of
light scattering power European Coatings Journal (n.4): 264-269
Herdan, G. (1960). Small particle statistics, Butterworths.
Hulst, H.C. van de (1981). Light scattering by small particles, Dover
publications.
Johnston-Feller, R. (2001). Color Science in the Examination of
Museum Objects, The Getty Conservation Institute.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
This article has been rendered possible through the courtesy and
kind support of Dr. Patrick Johnson, from the Photon Scattering
Group at the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter
FOM (Amsterdam), Dr. Klaas Jan van den Berg,
Dr. Ineke Joosten, Dr. Margriet van Eikema Hommes and
Dr. Luc Megens from the Netherlands Institute for Cultural
Heritage (ICN), Maartje Witlox from the University of
Amsterdam (UvA), Jessica Roeders from the Frans Hals Museum
(Haarlem), Dr. Petria Noble and Dr. Annelies van Loon from
the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis (The Hague) and
Dr. Ashok Roy from the National Gallery of London.
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