Saint Ivo’s robe is decorated with a woven “pineapple”
pattern that has lost contrast and color intensity, appearing
subdued and brownish in color.
In order to understand how the robe may have originally
appeared and why it may have discolored, the pigments in the
robe were analyzed, and then two reproductions were made
using those pigments.
Azurite (blue) and fluorite (purple), along with small amounts of
lead white and red lake, were found. Both azurite and fluorite
are more brilliant when bound in glue than when bound in
oil. It is possible the robe was originally painted with pigments
bound in glue, and that later applications of oil caused the blue
and purple to lose their brilliance. In the two reproductions, the
one ground in glue is brighter, and over time, the one bound in
oil will likely darken more.
To recreate the original appearance of Ivo’s robe, a section of
the robe was traced and two mock-ups were made by Harvard
VES undergraduate Lia Costiner. Linseed oil was used as the
medium on one panel and glue on the other (both in common
usage in sixteenth-century Northern Europe). In both cases,
the pattern of the brocade had a decidedly blue tone rather
than a purple hue, because the fluorite turned almost white
when it was ground to make the pigment. The copies give an
idea of the robe’s original appearance and, with time, will test
the theory that the oil medium caused discoloration of the azurite/fluorite layer.
