Artist profiling using micro-CT scanning of a Rijksmuseum terracotta sculpture

Area of Science:

• Art History
• Forensic Science
• Archaeology

Background:

• Impressions on terracotta sculptures are rarely documented systematically.
• Previous research lacks standardized methods for analyzing these fine art details.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel procedure for scanning and quantitatively characterizing fingermarks and toolmarks on terracotta sculptures.
• To apply this pipeline to a specific museum artifact for analysis.
• To explore the potential for artist profiling through impression analysis.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing 3D micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) for non-invasive scanning of impressions on sculpture surfaces and interiors.
• Developing quantitative methods to characterize the unique features of scanned marks.
• Applying archaeological and forensic research on ridge breadth for age and ancestry estimation.

Main Results:

• Successfully applied the 3D micro-CT scanning and analysis pipeline to the terracotta sculpture 'Study for a Hovering Putto'.
• Estimated the fingermarks on the sculpture likely belong to an adult male based on ridge breadth analysis.
• Demonstrated the feasibility of detailed impression analysis on museum artifacts.

Conclusions:

• The developed procedure offers a systematic approach to studying impressions on terracotta sculptures.
• The findings support the potential for artist profiling by analyzing unique fingermarks and toolmarks.
• This innovative computational approach can enhance our understanding of historical artistic practices.