From the ground up: Surface and sub-surface effects in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Netherlandish paintings

This doctoral dissertation explores the techniques that were used to build up fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Netherlandish oil paintings, from the ground up. Paintings are more than two-dimensional images; they are physical objects composed of several layers, usually: the support, ground, underdrawing, (sometimes) an intermediate layer, paint, and varnish. Frequently, the paint itself is built up in several layers, and this often includes opaque underlayers overlaid with translucent glazes. This dissertation describes how each layer can have a visible effect on a painting’s final appearance when an artist exploits the properties of the oil binding medium.