'Alla Maniera' : Technical Art History and the Meaning of Style in 15th to 17th Century Painting: Papers Presented at the Twenty-Second Symposium for the Study of Underdrawing and Technology in Painting Held Online, 28-30 March 2022

Ever since fifteenth- and early sixteenth-century writers used the word maniera to describe an artist's personal style, the term has known very different meanings. Alla maniera di... implied the deliberate and eclectic imitation of someone else's style but also signaled that an artist had possibly more than one maniera at his or her disposal. Such ambivalence presents a challenge for stylistic analysis which has always been an important art historical tool for dating, localizing and attributing works of art. For painting, stylistic observations have traditionally been limited to the surface but technical examination and scientific analysis now reveal additional layers of information that may offer a better and even different understanding of style. The XXIInd symposium for the Study of Underdrawing and Technology in Painting which was held online on 28-30 March 2022 focused on how technical research can provide additional insights or challenges concerning the style of an individual painter, a workshop or a group of painters. Stylistic similarities might indicate cultural, social, regional, or chronological connections in paintings, drawings, prints, applied arts, etc. as well as across artistic media.This book captures the variety of twenty-three papers presented at the symposium. Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Table of Contents 6 Editor’s Preface 8 1 Keynote Lecture Hugo van der Goes’s Idiosyncrasies and Maniera in Visible and in Infrared Light 10 2 The Underdrawing of the Lamentation of Christ Revisited 22 3 The Phoebus Nativity: A Close Look into the Workshop of Memling 42 4 Rediscovering the Sao Paulo Museum of Art’s Memling by Technical Examination 52 5 A Matter of Manner? Material Aspects of Style and Reconstructions as a Research Tool 64 6 From Da Vinci to Massys: New Insights into MASP’s Unequal Marriage 78 7 Alla Maniera di Gerard David? Stylistic Irregularities in Ambrosius Benson’s Oeuvre 92 8 An Analytical Investigation into Two of Antonello da Messina’s Nephews’ Workshop Practices: Insights into Antonio de Saliba and Salvo d’Antonio’s Paintings on Malta 104 9 Three Versions of Andrea del Sarto’s Sacrifice of Isaac: Technical Research and Comparative Study 118 10 The Northern Way: Engraving Success in Catalan Painting around 1500 130 11 Underand Overdrawing in the Pulkau Altarpiece: New Insights into a Stylistic Enigma 142 12 Painted Sketch as the Underlayer of the Lusina Polyptych 158 13 A ‘Nuremberg’ Workshop in Remote Transylvania? Investigations on Early Sixteenth-Century Altarpieces Painted in Sighișoara/Schässburg 170 14 The Drawing Hand of a Portuguese Mannerist Painter 184 15 The Technique of Filippo Paladini: a Case Study of his Sixteenth-Century Wall Paintings at Verdala Palace, Buskett, Malta 196 16 Elsheimer’s Creative Process: New Research on the Frankfurt Altarpiece of the True Cross 208 17 Michele Desubleo’s Self-portrait as Saint Luke: Technique in Context and the Creation of a Maniera 220 18 In the Manner of... Genoese Antoon Van Dyck: Technique, Design, Development 228 19 The Arbroath Sermon of Saint John the Baptist after Pieter Bruegel the Elder: A Rare Pastiche 242 20 Reconstructing Sweerts: Practical Insights into the Historical Dark Halo Technique based on Paint Reconstructions 266 21 The Versatile Style of Jan Steen: How he Varies the Preparations of his Composition during his Career and according to the Subject 280 22 Painting by Numbers: Evolution and Standardization of Colouring in the Seventeenth Century 296 23 Palettes as Indicators of Technique and Style in Northern Self-Portraits 308 Bibliography 320 Contributors 340 Photo Credits 344 Colophon 346