Books and Chapters by Jennifer Poulin
Within the extensive Thomson Collection of European Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in To... more Within the extensive Thomson Collection of European Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto is an exhibition case housing ten prayer beads and two miniature altarpieces, all dated to the early sixteenth century. Ken Thomson’s generosity in sharing his collection with the public has meant that many visitors have been introduced
to and subsequently become fascinated by these miniature Masterworks. One of the first questions that viewers ask themselves, straining to see the scenes depicted in the beads, is how can anyone have possibly carved such intricate and tiny dioramas? Indeed, this was the precise goal of a large research project developed by the
conservator of the collection, Lisa Ellis, and its curator, Alexandra Suda. All ten of the prayer beads in the Thomson Collection at the AGO were investigated with the goal of understanding the intricacies of their construction and perhaps identifying the work of individual sculptors and workshops. The tools employed in this quest included microscopy,
X-radiography, and micro-computed tomography (high-resolution X-ray tomography). Minute samples of adhesives, coatings, and polychromy were identified at the Canadian Conservation Institute with a range of scientific instruments. This paper focuses on what is arguably the most elaborate of the Thomson prayer beads at the Art Gallery of Ontario. This prayer bead (AGOID. 29365) opens to reveal two miniature carvings, the upper half depicting the Last Judgement and the lower half the Coronation of the Virgin. The bead is carved entirely from boxwood, and its halves are hinged with a metal pin. Unusually, a discrete area of the interior of the bead is polychromed and reveals traces of gilding.
Lisa Ellis, Alexandra Suda, Ronald M. Martin, Elizabeth Moffatt,
Jennifer Poulin, and Andrew J. Nelson
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in: Issues in Contemporary Oil Paint, edited by K.J. van den Berg et al.
Abstract In an on-going study of the materials and techniques of twentieth-century Canadian paint... more Abstract In an on-going study of the materials and techniques of twentieth-century Canadian painters, similar conservation issues in oil paintings by various artists have been noted. These include delamination and lifting paint, zinc soap protrusions and surface efflorescence or accretions. Examples of these phenomena are presented. Delamination in an oil painting from 1956 was found to be related to an underlayer with a high concentration of zinc fatty acid salts (zinc soaps). In two paintings that date from 1936 and 1937, zinc soaps have aggregated and formed protrusions that have broken through the paint surface. The protrusions were analysed using a
combination of SEM-EDX, GCMS and FTIR. The FTIR spectra were compared to those of synthetic zinc palmitate, stearate, azelate and oleate. The combined GCMS and FTIR results indicate that the protrusions contain primarily zinc palmitate and stearate. Peak splitting in the FTIR spectrum, which is not observed in synthetic zinc palmitate, stearate or binary palmitate-stearate salts, is likely due to structural distortion. The final example describes a disfiguring surface accretion on a 1952–1954 painting caused by the reaction of zinc with a low molecular weight carboxylic acid (2-hydroxypropanoic or lactic acid).
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"Jean Paul Riopelle: The Artist's Materials
Marie-Claude Corbeil, Kate Helwig, and Jennifer Poul... more "Jean Paul Riopelle: The Artist's Materials
Marie-Claude Corbeil, Kate Helwig, and Jennifer Poulin
Year: 2011
Details: 96 pages
7 1/2 x 10 inches
28 color and 6 b/w illustrations
4 line drawings
paperback
Publisher: Getty Publications
Imprint: Getty Conservation Institute
Jean Paul Riopelle (1923–2002) was one of the most important Canadian artists of the twentieth century, yet he is relatively unknown in the U.S. He began his career in Montreal in the 1940s, where he played a role in the influential Automatist movement, and established his reputation in the burgeoning art scene of postwar Paris, where his circle included André Breton, Samuel Beckett, and Sam Francis. During his career, Riopelle produced over six thousand works, including more than two thousand paintings.
This volume, the second in the Artist’s Materials series, grew out of a research project of the Canadian Conservation Institute. Initial chapters present an overview of Riopelle’s life and situate his work within the context of twentieth century art. Subsequent chapters address Riopelle’s materials and techniques, focusing on his oil paintings and mixed media works, and on conservation issues. The preface is by Yseult Riopelle, the artist’s eldest daughter and editor of his catalogue raisonné. This first book-length study of the artist in English will interest curators, conservators, conservation scientists, and general readers.
"
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Compares Pre-Raphaelite painter William Holman Hunt's extensive comments on his painting material... more Compares Pre-Raphaelite painter William Holman Hunt's extensive comments on his painting materials in his letters, articles, lectures, and interviews with evidence from four surviving palettes. Analysis confirms Hunt's use of the pigments he is recorded as favoring: vermilion, carmine madder; dark yellow madder, cadmium yellow; oxide of chromium, chrome green, and emerald green, sometimes with gamboge; natural ultramarine, Prussian blues, cobalt blue; sienna, umbers, Cologne earth, and lead white. Medium analysis revealed poppy seed oil in the whites and yellows and linseed and possibly walnut in many of the others. Pine resin was found in most samples. Paintings show evidence of extensive reworking, sometimes over long periods of time. He added strips of canvas and scraped down unsatisfactory passages, reapplied ground, and repainted them, sometimes multiple times, and sometimes had canvases lined as he worked on them. Analysis of Il Dolce far Niente, (1860, oil on canvas), with radiography, raking light, and ultraviolet light reveals the painting's evolution and some of the pigments. Two palettes are illustrated.
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Papers by Jennifer Poulin
Heritage Science, Mar 20, 2021
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Food additives and contaminants, Aug 1, 2005
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Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal
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Analytical Methods, 2018
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Heritage Science, Sep 2, 2022
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Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, Jun 1, 2022
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Cultural Heritage Science, 2019
This paper describes the evolution and results of a technical study that focused initially on the... more This paper describes the evolution and results of a technical study that focused initially on the Thomson Collection of miniature boxwood carvings at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). This work eventually became the AGO’s impetus for its participation in an international exhibit “Small Wonders,” organized with the Rijksmuseum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The technical work on early sixteenth century miniature boxwood carvings, which includes both prayer beads and miniature altarpieces, started with X-radiography at the Royal Ontario Museum, followed with in-house photography using a cutting edge but now somewhat more common specialized macro set-up, and ultimately micro-computed tomography (CT) scanning, or high-resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography at Sustainable Archaeology, Western University, London Ontario and Advanced 3D Analysis software (ORS) at the AGO. Secondary digital files were used in “Small Wonders: the VR Experience,” wherein users could enter into a dramatically magnified virtual prayer bead. Scientific analysis of a selection of the artifacts’ coatings, polychromy and adhesives was undertaken by the Canadian Conservation Institute using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR); scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS); thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS); and Raman spectroscopy.
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Heritage Science
Many studies have investigated light-induced damage to colourants in heritage collections using p... more Many studies have investigated light-induced damage to colourants in heritage collections using prepared samples of materials such as artist paints and dyed textiles. The body of research focuses primarily on the response of virgin materials, where colour change is assessed with respect to the original colour as light dose increases. From a practical perspective, most objects in museum collections have accumulated a significant light dose from illumination before acquisition, and subsequent years of exhibit lighting. When considering the risk of further degradation, it is often stated by heritage professionals that fugitive colourants with past light exposure are no longer as sensitive due to the slowing rate of visual damage. This is evident by studying ‘fading curves’, where the rate of colour change typically diminishes with increasing light dose. It remains unclear, however, to what degree the lightfastness of remaining colour changes with ongoing exposure. To address the issue,...
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Molecules
Charles T. Currelly, first director of the Royal Ontario Museum, participated in excavations of t... more Charles T. Currelly, first director of the Royal Ontario Museum, participated in excavations of the tomb of King Nebhepetre, now known as Mentuhotep II, (Dynasty XI) in Deir el-Bahri, Egypt in 1906. He brought to Canada many objects from the excavations, and objects that he purchased while in Egypt; these formed the initial collection of the museum. Among the objects were seven fragments of fine linen cloth with intricate pleat patterns. Recently, the cloths became the subject of a study to learn how they had retained their pleats for 4000 years. Samples were examined and analysed using polarised light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy-electron dispersive X-ray spectrometry, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Three of the cloths were likely fragments of clothing re-purposed as bandages and were found to be saturated in mummification balms composed of Pinaceae resin, Pistacia resin, and an essential oil characterised by a ...
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Heritage Science
Synthetic organic colourants are extremely prominent in heritage collections, particularly throug... more Synthetic organic colourants are extremely prominent in heritage collections, particularly throughout textiles. They are often generalized as highly light-sensitive; although, a broad distribution of lightfastness exists. This is evident in various fastness ratings published in late nineteenth century literature, the work of Schultz and Julius, and the Colour Index. In heritage conservation, much of the research related to light-sensitivity of dyed textiles has focused on natural colourants. This is likely due to a general interest in the dyes present on older objects, and the overwhelming selection of modern synthetic materials. To address this gap, a shortlist of targeted synthetic dyes was recently developed using census data for dye production and imports in the United States, and information gathered from the Colour Index. Our present work provides a follow up to the prior literature review, where a subset of samples from the published target list was used to evaluate lightfast...
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Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 2022
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This dataset is a compilation of information related to the early synthetic dye industry using 18... more This dataset is a compilation of information related to the early synthetic dye industry using 18 published documents: three editions of the Colour Index (CI), Schweppe's list of synthetic dyes, Norton's 1914 census, and annual census publications from the United States Tariff Commission (1918-1930). It includes the following fields: 1914 Schultz number Provided in census data prior to 1924 First edition CI number Determined from Schultz number in census data, using a conversion table in the 1st ed. CI Approximate date of introduction (CI, 1st ed) Number of manufacturers (CI, 1st ed) Chemical class (CI, 1st ed) CI constitution number Determined from 1st ed. CI #, and 2nd ed. CI conversion table CI generic name Determined from 1st ed. CI #, and 2nd ed. CI conversion table Lightfastness Tabulated from 3rd ed. CI for colourants listed in the 1st ed. CI Data selected for normal depth of shade, and direct dyeing without aftertreatment where applicable. See source document for det...
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Heritage Science, 2021
From the invention of Perkin’s Mauve in 1856, to publication of the first edition of theColour In... more From the invention of Perkin’s Mauve in 1856, to publication of the first edition of theColour Indexin 1924, more than 1200 synthetic organic colourants were introduced. Some achieved commercial success, while others were rarely used for reasons such as high cost, low fastness, and toxicity. This turbulent period of innovation was largely driven by demand of the textile industry; however, synthetic colourants were subsequently adopted in many other applications. An understanding of the most common materials and their properties is therefore important to the study of heritage collections and their preservation. The risk of light damage during exhibition of objects is often a concern due to the fugitive nature of many synthetic colourants.To provide a foundation for focused research on synthetic dye identification and lightfastness, work was carried out to identify the most prominent of these colourants used in North America up to the year 1924 when the first edition of theColour Inde...
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Studies in Conservation, 2017
ABSTRACT The derivatising agent m-(trifluoromethyl)phenyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (TMTFTH) has... more ABSTRACT The derivatising agent m-(trifluoromethyl)phenyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (TMTFTH) has been employed for more than a decade at the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) to extract natural dyes from historical textiles and other dyed substrates. The alkaline reagent breaks the bonds between the colourants and the mordant ions or functional groups of the substrate, releasing the dye compounds into the extraction solution, and derivatises polar functionalities to produce compounds that are amenable to subsequent analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). This approach allows for the identification of the colourants, and is also useful in determining the presence of degradation products from the dyes and substrates, non-dye marker compounds, auxiliary compounds added to the dye bath, and substances present on the object through anthropogenic use, conservation treatments, or possible pesticide contamination. This paper discusses compounds formed through the reactions of TMTFTH with flavonoid dyes (dyer’s buckthorn, old fustic, weld, red sandalwood, and brazilwood), quinone dyes (madder, Relbunium, Galium, cochineal, lac, and walnut), indigoid dyes (indigo, Tyrian purple, and indigo carmine), turmeric, marigold, lupin and several lichen species. Results from a selection of historical dyed textiles and other decorative objects analysed at the CCI are provided to illustrate applications of the methodology.
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Organic Geochemistry, 2015
ABSTRACT Class Ib resinites are the most common subclass of amber and are found throughout the wo... more ABSTRACT Class Ib resinites are the most common subclass of amber and are found throughout the world. They have a macromolecular structure based on co-polymerized communic acid, communol and biformenes. Because this class of resinite does not contain succinic acid, crosslinking of the polymer through esterification of communol moieties has never been theorized. Analysis of Class Ib resinites from Grassy Lake and Cedar Lake in western Canada was performed using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with in situ hexamethyldisilazane derivatization, using a thermal separation probe to perform the pyrolysis and sample introduction. This has allowed larger, more complex fragments to be released from the polymer matrix than previously possible using instantaneous pyrolysis methodologies. The results show for the first time that Class Ib resinite can undergo self-crosslinking between the communol and communic acid moieties in the polylabdane matrix. The chromatographic results also show that a portion of the monoterpenes and non-polymerizable diterpenes in the resinite are bound to the polymer matrix and not fully occluded as was previously theorized. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of the resinites are presented and a more accurate spectral interpretation is proposed, based on the chromatographic results.
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Books and Chapters by Jennifer Poulin
to and subsequently become fascinated by these miniature Masterworks. One of the first questions that viewers ask themselves, straining to see the scenes depicted in the beads, is how can anyone have possibly carved such intricate and tiny dioramas? Indeed, this was the precise goal of a large research project developed by the
conservator of the collection, Lisa Ellis, and its curator, Alexandra Suda. All ten of the prayer beads in the Thomson Collection at the AGO were investigated with the goal of understanding the intricacies of their construction and perhaps identifying the work of individual sculptors and workshops. The tools employed in this quest included microscopy,
X-radiography, and micro-computed tomography (high-resolution X-ray tomography). Minute samples of adhesives, coatings, and polychromy were identified at the Canadian Conservation Institute with a range of scientific instruments. This paper focuses on what is arguably the most elaborate of the Thomson prayer beads at the Art Gallery of Ontario. This prayer bead (AGOID. 29365) opens to reveal two miniature carvings, the upper half depicting the Last Judgement and the lower half the Coronation of the Virgin. The bead is carved entirely from boxwood, and its halves are hinged with a metal pin. Unusually, a discrete area of the interior of the bead is polychromed and reveals traces of gilding.
Lisa Ellis, Alexandra Suda, Ronald M. Martin, Elizabeth Moffatt,
Jennifer Poulin, and Andrew J. Nelson
combination of SEM-EDX, GCMS and FTIR. The FTIR spectra were compared to those of synthetic zinc palmitate, stearate, azelate and oleate. The combined GCMS and FTIR results indicate that the protrusions contain primarily zinc palmitate and stearate. Peak splitting in the FTIR spectrum, which is not observed in synthetic zinc palmitate, stearate or binary palmitate-stearate salts, is likely due to structural distortion. The final example describes a disfiguring surface accretion on a 1952–1954 painting caused by the reaction of zinc with a low molecular weight carboxylic acid (2-hydroxypropanoic or lactic acid).
Marie-Claude Corbeil, Kate Helwig, and Jennifer Poulin
Year: 2011
Details: 96 pages
7 1/2 x 10 inches
28 color and 6 b/w illustrations
4 line drawings
paperback
Publisher: Getty Publications
Imprint: Getty Conservation Institute
Jean Paul Riopelle (1923–2002) was one of the most important Canadian artists of the twentieth century, yet he is relatively unknown in the U.S. He began his career in Montreal in the 1940s, where he played a role in the influential Automatist movement, and established his reputation in the burgeoning art scene of postwar Paris, where his circle included André Breton, Samuel Beckett, and Sam Francis. During his career, Riopelle produced over six thousand works, including more than two thousand paintings.
This volume, the second in the Artist’s Materials series, grew out of a research project of the Canadian Conservation Institute. Initial chapters present an overview of Riopelle’s life and situate his work within the context of twentieth century art. Subsequent chapters address Riopelle’s materials and techniques, focusing on his oil paintings and mixed media works, and on conservation issues. The preface is by Yseult Riopelle, the artist’s eldest daughter and editor of his catalogue raisonné. This first book-length study of the artist in English will interest curators, conservators, conservation scientists, and general readers.
"
Papers by Jennifer Poulin
to and subsequently become fascinated by these miniature Masterworks. One of the first questions that viewers ask themselves, straining to see the scenes depicted in the beads, is how can anyone have possibly carved such intricate and tiny dioramas? Indeed, this was the precise goal of a large research project developed by the
conservator of the collection, Lisa Ellis, and its curator, Alexandra Suda. All ten of the prayer beads in the Thomson Collection at the AGO were investigated with the goal of understanding the intricacies of their construction and perhaps identifying the work of individual sculptors and workshops. The tools employed in this quest included microscopy,
X-radiography, and micro-computed tomography (high-resolution X-ray tomography). Minute samples of adhesives, coatings, and polychromy were identified at the Canadian Conservation Institute with a range of scientific instruments. This paper focuses on what is arguably the most elaborate of the Thomson prayer beads at the Art Gallery of Ontario. This prayer bead (AGOID. 29365) opens to reveal two miniature carvings, the upper half depicting the Last Judgement and the lower half the Coronation of the Virgin. The bead is carved entirely from boxwood, and its halves are hinged with a metal pin. Unusually, a discrete area of the interior of the bead is polychromed and reveals traces of gilding.
Lisa Ellis, Alexandra Suda, Ronald M. Martin, Elizabeth Moffatt,
Jennifer Poulin, and Andrew J. Nelson
combination of SEM-EDX, GCMS and FTIR. The FTIR spectra were compared to those of synthetic zinc palmitate, stearate, azelate and oleate. The combined GCMS and FTIR results indicate that the protrusions contain primarily zinc palmitate and stearate. Peak splitting in the FTIR spectrum, which is not observed in synthetic zinc palmitate, stearate or binary palmitate-stearate salts, is likely due to structural distortion. The final example describes a disfiguring surface accretion on a 1952–1954 painting caused by the reaction of zinc with a low molecular weight carboxylic acid (2-hydroxypropanoic or lactic acid).
Marie-Claude Corbeil, Kate Helwig, and Jennifer Poulin
Year: 2011
Details: 96 pages
7 1/2 x 10 inches
28 color and 6 b/w illustrations
4 line drawings
paperback
Publisher: Getty Publications
Imprint: Getty Conservation Institute
Jean Paul Riopelle (1923–2002) was one of the most important Canadian artists of the twentieth century, yet he is relatively unknown in the U.S. He began his career in Montreal in the 1940s, where he played a role in the influential Automatist movement, and established his reputation in the burgeoning art scene of postwar Paris, where his circle included André Breton, Samuel Beckett, and Sam Francis. During his career, Riopelle produced over six thousand works, including more than two thousand paintings.
This volume, the second in the Artist’s Materials series, grew out of a research project of the Canadian Conservation Institute. Initial chapters present an overview of Riopelle’s life and situate his work within the context of twentieth century art. Subsequent chapters address Riopelle’s materials and techniques, focusing on his oil paintings and mixed media works, and on conservation issues. The preface is by Yseult Riopelle, the artist’s eldest daughter and editor of his catalogue raisonné. This first book-length study of the artist in English will interest curators, conservators, conservation scientists, and general readers.
"