Microbes could help save Old Masters, catch forgers and show a painting’s provenance
- Microbes on paintings could be used to identify counterfeits and halt the decay of classic artworks
- They could also give an idea of where a painting has been stored over the centuries
Microbes could be game changers in authenticating and preserving Old Master paintings and other art, according to a new US scientific study.
Its findings could have far-reaching consequences for the US$60 billion a year art market, in which provenance can be notoriously hazy and difficult to pin down.
Researchers said microbes clinging to the surface of paintings and sculptures can be used to help identify counterfeits. They could also be crucial in halting the decay of some of the world’s great cultural treasures.
The team from the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) also propose artists’ DNA being used to seal the provenance of even centuries-old works.
Microbiologist Manolito Torralba says that the tiny organisms that live on art can point to the origin of a work and, in some cases, where it has been kept over its history.