Material and technique in portraits by Jens Juel and their correlation to degradation patterns

The thesis investigates portraits on canvas by Jens Juel (1745-1802) from throughout his forty-year career focusing on whether Juel’s materials and techniques changed with regard to time, location and availability of materials, as well as how these correlate with degradation patterns, especially craquelure. Juel used traditional materials, but variations in use of materials were found between paintings produced in Denmark and those abroad that provide indication of the circumstances of Juel’s choices, the available materials in Denmark and the market for art and artistic practice in the pre-industrial era. The identified differences in the ground layers especially, appear to be one of the main factors in the development of one type of craquelure over another, and have a significant influence on the mechanical and chemical properties within the structure of the painting. This knowledge can provide an enhanced preservation strategy for paintings on canvas by Juel and his contemporaries.