ArtLab featured on Dutch Television

Last week, the ArtLab was featured on the Dutch tv-show The Secret of the Master (Het Geheim van de Meester). In this show, a team of four experts reconstructs famous historical artworks. The centerpiece of last week’s episode was an emblematic still life painted by the Dutch painter Johannes Torrentius in 1614 (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam). Previous scientific research by Arie Wallert revealed that, much to everyone’s surprise, the still life did not contain linseed oil. Curiously enough, pectine molecules were found instead, suggesting that Torrentius developed his own paint formulation based on jelly-like substances found in certain fruits.

Thijs Hagendijk, ArtLab member and one of the four experts on the show, reconstructed this peculiar historical paint and invited technical art historian Arie Wallert to the ArtLab to investigate its properties on panel. Click here to view the episode and to see the results.