As part of the Museum’s continuing efforts to study and preserve works of art, Conservator Bart Devolder recently acquired two new tools for the examination and documentation of surfaces under high magnification. The Olympus SZX7 stereo microscope magnifies objects up to 56 times and is paired here with the Schott KL 1600 LED bifurcated gooseneck lighting system. Together, these powerful devices can be used to document artists’ techniques or, potentially, to discover artists’ signatures and other marks hidden by layers of paint. Additionally, these tools can be used during the course of conservation work, including the complicated removal of varnish or overpaint. In some rare cases, they can even be used while inpainting (retouching) works that are missing some original paint.
We look forward to sharing future discoveries made possible by these tools!