Accurate Measurements of Spectral Reflectance in Picasso’s Guernica Painting

Abstract

The use of non-invasive spectral measurements to control the conservation status is a part of the preventive conservation of artworks which nowadays is becoming increasingly interesting. This paper describes how to use a spectral measuring device and an illumination system specifically designed for such a task in a very large dimension artwork painting (7.8 m wide × 3.5 m high). The system, controlled by a Cartesian robot, allows spectral measurements in a spectral range of 400–780 nm. The measured data array has a total of 2201 circular regions with 5.5 mm spot diameter placed on a square grid. Colorimetric calculations performed from these spectral measurements may be used to characterize color shifts related to reflectance changes in specific areas of the paint. A color shifting from the expected gray has been shown.