In situ Colour Measurement on Works of Fine Art Using a Non-destructive Methodology

Colours in paintings are one of the means by which artists express their feelings. The determination and the interpretation of these colours are very important for art historians because they lead us to a deeper understanding of the artist’s cultural background. Even if the pictorial colours are subjectively selected by the artist, they can be determined through physics by a total of interrelated factors which are calculated by the help of appropriate mathematical methods. In the present research study a non-destructive methodology for in situ colour measurement on fine art paintings is suggested using a 3CCD colour detector. From the results obtained, it is suggested that the approach employed is sufficiently accurate for it to be applied in the investigation of works of fine art