Conservators play a role in the reattribution of art

In “When Overlooked Art Turns Celebrity”, Michael Kimmelman uses the recent reattribution to Pieter Bruegel the Elder of the painting “The Wine of St. Martin’s Day” as a starting point for a discussion of why attributions affect people’s judgement of works of art. In his recounting of how the reattribution of this particular painting came about, Kimmelman notes the examination by conservators which provided the information about materials and techniques which enabled the painting to be linked to Breugel.

[ A detail of the painting