Technological Research of Paper Supports of Maria Prymachenko’s Drawings from the Collection of the Taras Shevchenko National Museum

Abstract

The purpose of the work is to determine the technological features of the paper supports of Maria Prymachenko’s drawings from the collection of the Taras Shevchenko National Museum, to identify their elemental composition, sizing and fillers, and introducing the results into scientific circulation. The methodology is to apply a multi-analytical approach that includes theoretical (comparative analysis) and empirical research methods such as technical photography in different spectral ranges (visual, ultraviolet, and infrared), microscopic examination, X-ray fluorescence analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Scientific novelty. The presented work is the first comprehensive study of Maria Prymachenko’s works, which aims to establish the technological features, analyse, and systematise the characteristics of the paper support of the artist’s drawings. Conclusions. The research has shown that the paper of most of the drawings is made of cotton fibres, sized with plant gum, but differs in its morphological characteristics and fillers. Optical brighteners have been identified in a paper composition of works from the 1980s. The results are an important contribution to the existing body of knowledge about the composition of paper in the 1940s and early 1990s and may be useful in attributing drawings by Maria Prymachenko’s.