The chemical analysis of a painting involves identifying the materials that make up the paint layer: pigments, binders, varnishes, and mineral fillers. This information provides a better understanding of the techniques used, verifies whether the materials are consistent with the painting’s presumed date of creation, and reveals any restorations or forgeries.

Used in conjunction with carbon-14 dating and various scientific imaging techniques, chemical analysis is one of the primary methods for studying paintings.

In this article, learn how the materials in a painting are analyzed, what techniques are used, and what these analyses actually reveal.

What Chemical Analysis of a Painting Reveals

Chemical analysis is not limited to identifying pigments. It allows us to study all the materials that make up the paint layer in order to better understand how a work was created, to verify that the materials are consistent with the period in which it was made, and to identify any restorations.

This analysis alone does not always allow us to draw conclusions about a painting’s authenticity. That is why it is generally combined with carbon-14 dating of the supports and various scientific imaging techniques.

To better understand these complementary approaches, see also our articles on carbon-14 dating of paintings and scientific imaging techniques.

What materials can be analyzed?

Pigments

Chemical analysis of the pigments provides important chronological information that complements the dating of the support. This study has been facilitated by the discovery of numerous synthetic pigments in the 19th and 20th centuries. For example, the discovery of lithopone white (barium sulfate and zinc sulfide) in 1870 and phthalocyanine green in the 1930s. The use of chromium oxide as a green pigment from 1840 onwards, for example, or the manufacture of titanium white (titanium oxide), which began in the 1920s.

However, these investigations also have their limitations: natural pigments don't provide any real chronological information, as in the case of ochre, which was used for the Lascaux cave paintings and is still widely marketed today.

Binders

Binders ensure that pigments hold together and adhere to the support. Identifying them provides insight into the painting technique used by the artist (oil, tempera, wax, etc.) and can sometimes help confirm the period in which a work was created. Certain modern binders also serve as an indication of restoration or a more recent creation.

Nail Polish

Varnishes protect the surface of a painting and alter its appearance. Analyzing them makes it possible to distinguish between the original layers and varnishes applied during later restorations. It also provides information on the work’s state of preservation and guides the decisions made by conservators.

Chemical analysis is usually supplemented by imaging techniques. Learn, in particular, how X-ray analysis reveals the hidden history of a painting.

The main analytical methods used in the laboratory

Depending on the materials present and the objectives of the study, several analytical techniques can be used:

Most of these analyses are conducted without altering the artwork. Find out why non-destructive analyses are preferred for the study of works of art.

Some examples of table analysis

One example is the study of a painting attributed to an illustrious painter of the late 19th century, which was carried out in two stages. Carbon-14 dating of the support gave a date compatible with the painter's activity, and pigment analysis led to a similar conclusion, since the pigments detected were known in the 19th century and had been found in other works by this artist. Among the pigments detected were vermilion red, copper arsenate green, zinc white and ochre.

Conversely, analysis of a work dated 1920 revealed that it was a forgery. The presence of rutile titanium white—which was first produced in the late 1940s—was, in fact, a definitive indication of its modern origin.

Finally, the analysis of a 15th-century illuminated parchment proved more complex, as carbon-14 dating had confirmed the age of the support, but the pigments turned out to be modern (lithopone, titanium white, ultramarine blue, cadmium red...). In reality, it was an "intelligent copy" made on old paper. It is therefore essential to combine dating and analysis techniques to detect forgeries.

Chemical analysis is an essential step in the scientific study of paintings. By identifying pigments, binders, varnishes, and other materials, it provides valuable information about a work’s creation, history, and authenticity. Combined with carbon-14 dating and scientific imaging techniques, it offers a more comprehensive understanding of the materials and contributes to a reliable scientific assessment.

Richard Cheret

Richard holds a master’s degree in chemistry (1999) and a master’s degree in the physics of archaeomaterials (2000) from the University of Bordeaux. In 2005, he co-founded the CIRAM laboratory with Olivier Bobin, and today serves as its co-manager and sales director.

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