Imaging patterns on terracotta sculptures
This project studies patterns left by artists on ceramic/fired clay sculptures from Rijksmuseum collections, such as human prints, brush strokes and blade marks, using high resolution 2D/3D imaging and computed tomography.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Fingerprint-based recognition systems are used for forensic and biometric applications. Recently, the study of partial fingerprints left on pottery from past artisans has attracted growing attention in cultural heritage. However, there is a gap of systematic research addressing two- and three-dimensional (2D/3D) fingerprints left on ceramic/fired clay objects from known authors/workshops at museum collections. In addition, computer vision expertise in image processing of 2D/3D fingerprints found on ceramic/fired clay objects from museum collections is scarce. The Rijksmuseum collections include numerous ceramic/fired clay sculptures made by artists such as Artus I Quellinus, Jan Baptist Xaverij and Rombout Verhulst.
Aim of the Project
The goal of the project is to detect matching epidermal prints on ceramic/fired clay sculptures from Rijksmuseum collections to identify a single hand. To this end, high-resolution 2D/3D surface imaging (Photography Department, Rijksmuseum) and computed tomography (FleX-ray Lab, Computational Imaging Group, Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica in Amsterdam) will be employed. Images of brush strokes, blade marks and textile impressions will also be used to characterise the artist’s style and will be stored virtually in a standardised manner.
Researchers
Dzemila Sero
d.sero@rijksmuseum.nl
Migelien Gerritzen fellow
Isabelle Garachon
i.garachon@rijksmuseum.nl
Head Ceramics, Glass and Stone
Frits Scholten
f.scholten@rijksmuseum.nl
Senior Curator
Joost Batenburg
joost.batenburg@cwi.nl
Professor at Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science
Tristan van Leeuwen
t.van.leeuwen@cwi.nl
Leader of the Computational Imaging Group at the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI)