The research provides a definitive answer to the centuries-old discussion about Raphael's pictorial intentions. The modern literature regards the deep shadows and distinct boundaries between light and dark, which strongly deviate from Raphael's other work, as an essential characteristic of the painting. However Vasari, a contemporary of Raphael, noted in his Vite (1568) that the shadows in the picture had become considerably darker within the space of 50 years.
Margriet van Eikema Hommes compared Raphael's painting with preliminary sketches and early painted copies. These comparisons demonstrated that the shadowy parts in the original had indeed become darker. As a result of the dark shadows, the contrast between the illuminated and shadowy parts had become stronger and more abrupt. This has lead to the suggestion of a theatrical, dramatic illumination; an effect which Raphael had not intended.
Sixteenth-century Italian texts revealed that at the start of that century, the illumination in a painting did not yet function as a means of expression. In The Transfiguration the use of light at the bottom of the mountain only served to provide a suggestion of three-dimensionality.
The research by Van Eikema Hommes is the first extensive art history study in which the problems of aging and discolouration play a central role. It provides insights into the original composition of the paints used by artists during the renaissance and baroque periods as well as the original appearance of their paintings.
The starting point for this research were two hundred texts from this period concerning painting techniques and the theory of art. Van Eikema Hommes used these sources as a basis and combined these with the results from modern analytical equipment. The study is part of Molart, a programme from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research examining the molecular aspects of aging in paintings. This will be followed by the De Mayerne programme.
For further information please contact Margriet van Eikema Hommes (History of Art of the Early Modern Period Research Group, University of Amsterdam), tel. +31 (0)20 6892132, e-mail: eikema@kih.myweb.nl
The defence of the doctoral thesis will take place on 22 February 2002. Ms van Eikema Hommes' supervisor is Prof. E. van de Wetering. A more widely available edition of this thesis will be published in the future.
The research was funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).