The Scientific Process
It was in 1970 that everything shifted. The Rembrandt Research Project, as it was called, received the painting and began working on it. The organization’s purpose, as you can imagine, was to establish whether certain paintings suspected to be Rembrandts had indeed been made by the master, or not. The Allentown Art Museum was destined for disappointment once the experts were finished looking the artwork over. Rembrandt had never touched “Portrait of a Young Woman”.
The Scientific Process
Extensive Testing
That is not to say that the organization did not run extensive tests on the piece before handing in their final conclusion. They did establish that the painting had come from Rembrandt’s studio, however, and believed that an assistant had created the piece. What evidence led them to this assessment? Incredibly, it was the type of lighting used in the painting, and the rough texture of the brush strokes. They had looked closer at the painting than anyone had before them.
Extensive Testing
