Reconstructing Rogier: Practical Insights into the Original Appearance of the Lamentation Attributed to Rogier van der Weyden, Based on Student Reconstructions

Students in the Technical Art History master’s programme at the University of Amsterdam made reconstructions of The Lamentation of Christ (ca. 1460–64), a painting attributed to Rogier van der Weyden that was recently treated at the Mauritshuis, The Hague. Technical examination revealed that some passages and pigments in this artwork have changed over the centuries. By focusing their reconstructions on specific research questions, the students’ reconstructions provided new insights into some of these changes. Their research focused on preparatory phases (underdrawing and intermediate layer), changes that have occurred in coloured fabrics, and small reflective details like gems and blood.