Apparently a decidedly curious ingredient is hidden inside the canvases used at the beginning of the 19th century. Let’s find out what was discovered in a research published on Science Advances.
Although there is an excellent motivation for drinking beer, this new research was coordinated by the Italians Enrico Cappellini and Fabiana Di Gianvincenzo, both researchers at the University of Copenhagen. The Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen and the National Gallery of Denmark also participated.
Following in-depth analyses, they have been identified proteins derived from by-products of beer processingwhich were used by the craftsmen of the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen to prepare canvases for famous painters of the time.
This discovery was possible thanks to the paleoproteomica, i.e. the analysis of the structure and functions of proteins taken from samples of ancient materials. “The presence of cereals and yeast was and opens a completely new perspective in the reconstruction of production techniques of art materials at the beginning of the 19th century“, says the study author herself.
Specifically, the paintings analyzed date back to a period between 1826 and 1833. There are ten works, seven of which come from the Academywhich possess precisely the traces of the ancient proteins.
Of the seven paintings analysed, three are works by Eckersberg and four are of Purchase, respectively author and student at the Academy. According to Cecil Krarup Andersen, co-author of the research, this study also offered “a unique opportunity to study how artists worked in the past“.
Even if science has shown that drinking a glass before sleeping is decidedly harmful, Cappellini also underlines how proteomics is a decidedly useful tool for studying very ancient artistic objects, because allow the identification of the smallest traces of proteins with certainty.
“Studies like this show how many gaps still exist in the knowledge of the techniques used in artistic production. They also reveal the hidden connections between artistic production and society, the economy and culture. For this reason, proteomics is destined to become more and more common in art history research”.