Comparative study of ground layers of nineteenth century Portuguese Paintings

Western art in the nineteenth century was profuse in movements, and artists were more experimental than ever before. The nineteenth century also brought numerous novelties in painting materials and techniques. Traditional painting materials from past centuries were used at the same time as new contemporary materials were discovered and experimented. The paintings' ground layer is usually hidden from sight but it is not without importance since it has a considerable impact in the stability and final appearance of the painting. The ground layer was traditionally prepared by the painter by mixing animal glue as binder, lead white as white pigment and other white fillers. During the nineteenth century, and with the introduction of new white colour materials, the formulations of ground layers changed significantly. This article describes the comparative characterization of the ground layers of eleven paintings dated from 1852