Josefa d' Óbidos workshop from panel to canvas. Multianalytical approach to materials and technical evolution of the most significant Portuguese painting workshop of the 17th century

Abstract

In this work we address the study of three groups painted by Josefa d' Óbidos (1630–1684) and by her father Baltazar Gomes Figueira (1604–1674). These painters were the most important pair working in the 17th century in Portugal with a Proto-Baroque style and the materials and techniques used by their workshop are almost unknown. Analytical procedures employed to characterize the materials and painting techniques involve molecular spectroscopy with μ-Confocal Raman (μ-Raman) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (μ-FTIR) in combination with other complementary methods such as X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF), μ-X-ray diffraction (μ-XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Results are compared with the instructions of the most significant coeval Iberian painting treatises, with influence on Óbidos workshop. Conclusions of this study bring the first insight on the materials used, technical procedures and evolution from panel to canvas of Óbidos painting workshop, particularly highlighting the work of Josefa d' Óbidos, the greatest female Portuguese painter of all times.