The canvas support

Abstract

The research in this area is less extensive than that on panels because canvases were usually lined. The study covers a collection of 217 x-rays of paintings on canvas attributed by Bredius to Rembrandt. The weave of the canvas is observable on x-rays but not the lining itself.The following headings sum up the rest of the contents of this chapter: Historic sources on the nature and origin of canvas used by painters; thread density; problems in determining the warp direction; thread density and weave characteristics of canvases by or attributed to Rembrandt, with table A: a survey of thread counts of canvases used for Dutch pictures over the period 1600-1700, and table B: a survey of thread counts of canvases used by Rembrandt or in his workshop over the period 1631-1642; interpreting cusping (what its presence or absence implies when establishing authenticity); strip-widths and painting formats, with table C: a survey of canvases used for paintings by or attributed to Rembrandt 1631-1642, arranged according to strip-width; some remarks on ground and underpainting.