Investigation of the panel painting of St Anne with the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus using analytical and imaging methods

This paper presents an investigation of a panel painting depicting St Anne with the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus that dates back to the beginning of the 16th century. This work is attributed to the Master of the Litomerice Altarpiece, who was the most important painter in the time period of the Jagiellonian dynasty in Bohemia (the historical name of a part of the Czech Republic). At present, the painting is deposited in the collections of the National Gallery in Prague. The aims of this study were to carry out a systematic collection of sufficient data to make correct interpretations of the materials that were used, to compare the results with the technique of the Master of the Litomerice Altarpiece, and in this way to prove his authorship. In the analyses of the material compositions, emphasis was placed on non-destructive and non-invasive methods, e.g. X-ray fluorescence microanalysis, which was performed using a device with lateral resolution of 20 pm. Further applied methods were X-ray radiography, Infrared Reflectography, photographic documentation in visible and ultraviolet light, Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy, Infrared microspectroscopy with Fourier transformation, and microscopic analysis. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.