Annette S. Ortiz Miranda

"Scientific investigations of authenticity and alterations in the Walters’ collection"

ABSTRACT -- Scientific analysis plays a pivotal role in understanding the authenticity, provenance, and alterations of artworks in museum collections. This talk presents recent investigations of selected objects from the Walters Art Museum, where non-invasive and micro-invasive analytical techniques were applied to unveil hidden aspects of the collection. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, fiber optics reflectance spectroscopy, Raman, and cross-section microscopy provided critical insights into material composition, artistic techniques, and past interventions. The study revealed evidence of alterations, including overpainting, shedding new light on the objects'. These findings inform conservation strategies and contribute to a more comprehensive interpretation of the objects' cultural context. The results of these investigations are reflected in the Walters' galleries through exhibitions such as Objects of Curiosity, If Books Could Kill, and the upcoming Art of the Latin Americas, connecting scientific discoveries with public engagement and storytelling.

SPEAKER -- Dr. Annette S. Ortiz Miranda is the conservation scientist at The Walters Art Museum, where she leads the Museum's lab for scientific analysis. Before joining the Walters, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University's Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts in Chicago and as a conservation scientist at the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK). Her research interests include identifying and characterizing artists' materials and techniques, and the understanding of their degradation patterns. Beyond her work at the Walters, Annette is part of the Board of Governors of the Centro de Conservación y Restauración de Puerto Rico (CENCOR), the elected Assistance Chair of the Research and Technical Studies (RaTS) group of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) and part of the leadership of the ACerS: Art, Archaeology & Conservation Science group.

Engineering Colloquium home page: https://ecolloq.gsfc.nasa.gov