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Research from Scientific Research

Image of various scattered scientific research articles
Resource
Department Bibliography

Browse an abridged bibliography of our staff's work.

Two images of scientists at work, superimposed with the logo for NICS, written under an outline of the NYC skyline.
Collaboration
Network Initiative for Conservation Science (NICS)

Learn how NICS advances research and scholarship in art history, archaeology, conservation, and science by sharing The Met's cutting-edge scientific research facilities and analytical instrumentation, expertise, and resources.

The ARCHE collaboration logo depicting a series of linked arch bridges.
Collaboration
ARt and Cultural HEritage: Natural Organic Polymers by Mass Spectrometry (ARCHE)

The ARCHE partnership improves our scientific understanding of the material dimension of museum collections.

Chia Oil in 18th-Century Mexican Lacquerware and Paintings
Lecture
Symposium—Chia Oil in 18th-Century Mexican Lacquerware and Paintings

Explore the scientific, historical, and cultural implications of the use of chia oil in colonial Mexican artworks and hear about exciting advancements in the study of this versatile plant material.

Essays

Announcing the International Conference on Indoor Air Quality in Heritage and Historic Environments (IAQ 2024)
The Department of Scientific Research at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is pleased to organize IAQ 2024.
October 2, 2023
A cart on wheels with scientific machinery is parked in the middle of the sunlit American Wing sculpture courtyard; a grid of shadows from the overhead skylights creates a grid pattern on the polished stone floors.
Indoor Air Quality in the Museum Environment Workshop (IAQ 2020)
In February 2020, The Met hosted a workshop to develop a collaborative agenda for the field of indoor air quality (IAQ) in museums focusing on preserving art.
August 29, 2023
A closeup of bronze minerals
Casting for the King
An archaeological excavation discovered the location of the first historical bronze workshop in all Southeast Asia.
August 29, 2023
Macro image of a tapestry labeled with the colors "Gray, Red, Green, Yellow, Light Green, and Dark Green."
Identifying Natural Dyes to Understand a Tapestry's Origin
The dye used in a Latin American Colonial textile from the sixteenth to seventeenth century is examined in order to determine the textile's origin.
August 29, 2023
Detail of a large 18th-century Cuzco School painting depicting the Virgin of Valvanera. She holds the Holy Child with her right hand and a bouquet of flowers in her left
Plant Ash in Ground Preparations
The study of material derived from ash used in the ground preparations of paintings by both Spanish and Latin American artists in the Baroque period sheds new light on the spread of artistic practices beyond Spain.
August 29, 2023
Microscope on a small work of art on paper
Interdisciplinary Fellowship in Paper Conservation, Drawings and Prints, and Scientific Research
In 2022, The Met offered for the first time a fellowship designed to bridge the worlds of curatorial practice, and the scientific study of art.
May 31, 2023
Benchmarking the Oddy Test: Development of Damage Thresholds and a New Tool for Standardizing Material Tests for Cultural Heritage Institutions
Developing new approaches in assessing the use of conservation materials for displaying, transporting, or storing art.
April 7, 2023
Triptych showing a scientist at work, small glasses with colored contents, and a vitrine display.
Preventive Conservation Science Laboratory (PCSL)
The PCSL focuses on understanding the environmental factors that affect works of art.
January 25, 2023
Cutting Through the Fat: Animal Species and Food Processing Techniques of Residues Found in Nineteenth-Century Edgefield Pottery
Following analysis of food sources in stoneware vessels from the Old Edgefield District, South Carolina, an innovative approach probes the composition of trace food residues through close collaboration of The Met’s Department of Scientific Research and the University of Bordeaux through ARCHE.
January 20, 2023
The Inside (and Outside) Scoop: Scientific Analysis of Food Residues Inside the Jars from Old Edgefield, South Carolina
Learn about the intensive analysis undertaken by The Met’s Department of Scientific Research to determine what foods were stored in nineteenth-century stoneware jars produced by enslaved artisans from Old Edgefield, South Carolina.
January 20, 2023
Pastoral scene of women in pastel dresses speaking with a younger girl, while a small black-and-white dog at their feet gazes at two cows in the other direction
Investigation of Heavy-Metal Soap Deterioration in Oil Paintings
This project seeks to determine the causes and mechanisms of a degradation process in traditional oil paintings known as soap formation.
August 2, 2022
Wooden sculpture of St. John resting his face in his right hand
From Immunology to Art: Antibody Research in the Conservation Sciences
In conservation science, antibody-based techniques can identify and localize the various kinds of proteins used in objects of cultural heritage, generating insights into materials and techniques used by artists and craftspeople.
August 2, 2022
Gold pendant with figure of Prudence, accented with purple, green, and blue gemstones
Renaissance Enameled Gold Jewelry: Distinguishing Between Old and New
Chemical analysis of enamel compositions help to distinguish between authentic Renaissance period pieces and later pieces done in Renaissance style.
August 2, 2022
Portrait detail depicting the worn, wrinkled face of an older man.
Hugo van der Goes’s Portrait of a Man
Upon arrival at the Museum, this painting‘s paper support was brittle and delaminating from the wooden panel: a direct consequence of being kept in an uncontrolled environment for many years.
August 2, 2022
Bucolic scene of a garden blooming with flowers and greenery
Stanley Spencer’s King’s Cookham Rise
Stanley Spencer’s King’s Cookham Rise came to the studio to be examined and treated in preparation for an exhibition.
August 2, 2022
Painting detail showing three men with hats playing cards at a small table, while a fourth man stands behind, watching them play.
Cezanne’s Card Players
In preparation for the 2011 exhibition Cézanne‘s Card Players, Met staff investigated the creation of this series of masterpieces through technical examination.
August 1, 2022
A conservator standing on a ladder working on Tiepolo’s The Triumph of Marius.
Caring for The Met: 150 Years of Conservation
Objects conservator Deborah Schorsch recounts the long history of conservation at The Met
August 1, 2022
A painting showing Joseph, the Virgin, and the Christ Child in the foreground, while the three magi stand behind them.
Examining The Adoration of the Magi
A recent conservation treatment of The Adoration of the Magi provided the opportunity to examine the painting and to investigate the stages of its production.
August 1, 2022
Detail of painting of a woman in a low-cut black dress looking off to the side.
Revealing Madame X
Researchers at The Met describe methods used to uncover the artist John Singer Sargent’s creative process.
August 27, 2020
Vermeer's painting Mistress and Maid, and an X-ray image of the same painting
Scientific Discoveries in Johannes Vermeer’s Mistress and Maid
The Met, The Frick Collection, and the Doerner Institut team up to investigate changes to the composition and the discoloration of some paint passages.
June 23, 2020
At the far left in the midground, men in robes walk up steps to an altar canopy. In the foreground, three quarters of the painting is dominated by a large building with an open colonnade and populated by several women in Renaissance garb.
Investigating the Formation and Structure of Lead Soaps in Traditional Oil Paintings
Understanding the chemical processes of lead and heavy metal soaps informs art conservators on ways to slow, stop, and prevent the deterioration of unique works of art.
June 11, 2020
Oddy test coupons show corrosive chemicals in a foamed PVS board
Collections Care for Organic Objects
The Preventive Conservation Science Laboratory is developing a new test to assess materials used in the storage, display, and transport of organic objects.
June 11, 2020
presenter speaks at a podium gives a powerpoint presentation in front of an audience.
International Symposium on the Testing of Materials for Storage and Display of Cultural Heritage
Watch presentations from speakers at The Met’s symposium covering recent developments in materials selection methods used in the storage and display of art and cultural heritage objects.
May 26, 2020
Detail of the Great Wave showing two boats on whitecapped blue waves with Mount Fuji in the distance
The Great Wave: Anatomy of an Icon
Scientists at The Met use modern technology to analyze the color and double woodblock printing process used to print Hokusai’s The Great Wave.
April 10, 2020
Detail of portrait showing the face of a dark-haired woman, Gertrude Stein, wearing dark brown against a brown background
A Face is a Face is a Face
Paintings conservators at The Met use recent technology to delve into the famous portrait of Gertrude Stein by Picasso.
April 10, 2020
Three 3D X-ray views of the buddha: four frontal and one profile.
Enlightened Technology: Radiographing an Image of the Buddha
Researchers at The Met used 3-D X-ray technology to explore the inside of a Gupta-style bronze statue of the Buddha. Here's what they found.
March 6, 2019