Association for Research into Crime against Art [ARCA] brings to our attention a new company, Tondo Inc., that specializes in complex painting analysis for attributions and forgery research.
Tondo has provided services to cultural institutions and art collectors since it was founded in 1998. Its Complex Painting Analysis Method (CPAM) combines five techniques to help authenticate paintings: multispectral photography; X-Ray; microscopy; X-ray Fluorescence – Spectroscopy (XRF) examination; and a 3D white light scanner.
It’s interesting to compare CPAM with other scientific methods used to help authenticate works. For instance, fingerprinting techniques were given quite negative coverage in the New Yorker this summer. However, it was acknowledged in the article that “The public has long been suspicious of connoisseurship.” ARCA seems quite impressed with Tondo’s scientific methods.
