Italian 13th/14th century panel paintings typically have water-gilded backgrounds embellished with decorative tooling. As handmade tools, with the exception of the simple points, dots and circles, they are distinguishable from each other, though punch impressions from the same tool are never absolutely identical. Before digital imaging, punch mark studies required slow and meticulous data gathering, but had great promise in opening a new methodology for dating, attributing and relating dismembered panel paintings. This has yet to be fully realised. Additionally, digital technologies now offer the potential for more effective and efficient methodologies for taking forward this research. This Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) will investigate punch marks using existing documentation, combined with some new in-depth examination of paintings in the National Gallery and Fitzwilliam Museum. It will also explore the application of a range of 3D imaging techniques for studying punch marks, as well as some simple image analysis tools. The information gained will be analysed to gain new insights into the use of punch marks and their patterns, and to further art historical understanding not only of individual works, but of the artists' workshops and relationships between them.
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