The Structural Conservation of Panel Paintings

Conifer wood

To establish a chronology for fir, spruce, and pinewood, statistical measure-

ments ofchronological compatibility ofrecent trees within and between

different regions were carried out, particularly for the forests in the north-

ernmost and southernmost parts of Germany. In addition, panels of vari-

ous conifer woods and the wood of stringed instruments were investigated

at various museums in Europe and the United States (Klein 1990). For

spruce wood, new chronologies were established and other existing

chronologies used. For pinewood, a new chronology was established for

northern Germany (Eckstein, Schubert, and Klein 1987). For fir wood, the

establishment ofa new chronology was unnecessary, because the chronol-

ogy ofBecker and Gierts-Siebenlist (1970) allows the dating of panels.

Spruce wood

The chronologies of spruce wood—originally established for dating

stringed instruments—can also be used for dating panels. A chronology for

the Alpine region, for example, has been successfully used to date several

D A  P P 49

Rube ns and Work sh op

1468

C.E.

1618

Ba lt ic oak

1300 1350 1400 1450 15 00 1550 1600 1650 1700

Med ic i cycle — MP 99 II

Me dic i cy cl e — MP 107 II

Infa nti n Isabella II I

Port rait— priv ate col l. II

Isabella Brant— B 762A III

Me dic i cyc le — MP 98 I

Medic i cycle — MP 97 I

Medi ci cyc le — MP 107 I

Med ici cycle — MP 95 I

Ghin derta lenB 776F I

InfantinIs abella —W 299 II

Ghindertalen II

Figure 11
Dendrochronological analyses of twelve
oakpanels ofRubens and his workshop
(all boards are from the same tree). (B 5
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preussischer
Kulturbesitz, Gemäldegalerie; MP 5 Alte
Pinakothek, Munich; W 5 Kunsthistorisches
Museum Wien, Vienna.)