Historic Miniatures
By: Laura Hartog
Updated: April 3, 2012
Authentication and historical analysis of works of art and archeological artifacts has metaphorically moved out of the museum and into the lab with the introduction of scientific instruments that can analyze objects of cultural significance.
Richard Hark, professor of chemistry at Juniata College, spent last summer in England at London's Victoria and Albert Museum examining works from among the 1,200 miniatures Wood produced from 1792 to 1807. Wood used a numeric code to meticulously record in a ledger what pigments he used in each of his works.
More recently, Hark's research interests include organic synthesis and the application of Raman spectroscopy and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to the analysis of artworks, archeological artifacts, geomaterials and items of forensic interest.
