Magister et discipulus

The Painting Technique of Hans Bol’s Miniature from the Collection of the National Museum in Kraków in the Context of Earlier Research on Jacob Savery’s Miniature

Abstract

The National Museum’s in Krakow collection includes two miniatures by Flemish artists who worked within the traditional master–apprentice system. Each miniature comes from a different collection and was acquired by the museum in a different manner. The first, donated in 1885 by the distinguished collector Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński, was painted by Jacob Savery and depicts the Crucifixion on Golgotha. The second miniature, painted by Hans Bol, depicts a sequence of spring months and was purchased by the Czartoryski family. Both miniatures were painted in watercolour and gouache on parchment, which was glued to a board. Despite their similar initial contexts and many features in common, the painting technology and technique are not identical. To study the techniques used by both artists, a series of comprehensive non-destructive tests were carried out. Measurements were taken using X-ray fluorescence (macro-XRF), Raman spectroscopy (RS), and VNIR and SWIR reflectance spectroscopy imaging. Additionally, microscopic observations were conducted, and photographs were taken under analytical lighting. Macro-XRF imaging enabled the distribution of elements within the miniatures to be identified. In the case of Bol’s miniature, the research distinguished between the pigments forming the original layers of the object and those originating from subsequent secondary layers. The following article presents the results of the research and analysis of the miniature workshop of Hans Bol and Jacob Savery from a comparative perspective.