Fall 2026 AHVS 200: Artists' Materials and Techniques (Units: 1.5)

Course Description

In this course, we will study objects from the inside out. Together, we will examine the theoretical and historical context for the manufacture of various types of objects, including illuminated manuscripts, ceramics, textiles, paintings, and polychrome sculptures. I will offer detailed case studies to elucidate the developments and changes in the construction of works of art, including the reconstruction of historical processes involved. We will take an interdisciplinary approach to the study of an object’s materiality, considering each artist’s material from both art-historical and scientific vantage points. 

During this course, one of the main questions we will consider is how the processes involved in producing works of art shape our understanding of them. In addition, I will introduce students to the types of information that can be revealed through technical studies, including the techniques an artist applied, the dating of a work, and the state of an object's conservation.

Biography/Teaching Statement

I am a sessional professor at the University of Victoria, specializing in the history of art confiscation, cultural heritage destruction, museology, and the history of French restoration practices. My pedagogy draws on my interdisciplinary background and emphasizes critical engagement with Eurocentric narratives surrounding imperial and colonial looting and other violent practices involved in the formation of museum collections. 

Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes

• In written format, students will be able to describe and discuss key concepts about a range of techniques and materials used by artists.
• Discuss and write about the work of relevant artists in detail using the appropriate technical terminology.
• Discuss and analyze cross-cultural exchanges that influenced artists’ techniques and materials, as well as apply their knowledge in the form of in-class discussions, assignments, and exams.
• Critically examine ideas about the social and cultural conditions which gave way to the development of certain artistic techniques and materials.
• Conduct quality research for their assignment using primary, secondary, and tertiary sources.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend all classes in which they are enrolled, and attendance will be taken at the beginning of class. There will be information presented in the lectures that are not covered in the reading; therefore, students are required to attend lectures and to take notes to have the best possible outcomes for assignments and exams. Students may not be registered in another course that occurs at the same time. If you are absent, late or cannot attend an entire class because of illness, an accident or family affliction, this should be reported to me as soon as possible. For further information see: https://www.uvic.ca/calendar/future/undergrad/#/policy/ryNResf_E?bc=true&bcCurrent=03%20-%20Attendance&bcGroup=Undergraduate%20Academic%20Regulations&bcItemType=policies

CAL’s attendance guidelines: https://www.uvic.ca/accessible-learning/instructors/accommodations/attendance/index.php

Textbooks

Will be available through course reserves and linked to the course through Brightspace. 

Academic Concessions

Be sure to review the guidelines for Academic Concessions in the Undergraduate Calendar, since the requirements and processes are frequently updated: https://www.uvic.ca/calendar/future/undergrad/index.php#/policy/BymcP73U9

Please note that for deferrals, the Calendar states that “In order to support conditions for student success, a significant portion of the course must be completed before a deferral may be granted."

Normally this means completing 50% or more of the core course components, including attendance.

Use of Generative AI in Assignments

Please be advised that in this course you are not authorized to use any form of generative AI. In order to successfully complete course activities, generative AI is not required nor welcomed. Students should not make any use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, among others that use AI for content generation and editing. As the University of Victoria states on its Academic Integrity Policy “Academic integrity requires commitment to the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility.” Therefore, I expect you to comply with the course syllabus and I encourage you to enhance your academic experience in this course by refraining from use generative AI.

Assignments and Evaluation

Late Assignment Submission Policy

Extensions will not be granted due to heavy workloads in other courses or planned trips. Please note that late assignments will incur a 5% penalty per day, unless the student has otherwise agreed on an extension with the professor due to an extenuating circumstance. 

It is the student’s responsibility to be present on the day of an exam. Missed assignments will receive 0, and make-up assignments will not be assigned without discussion with the professor about the reasons for the need for such an accommodation.

Essential Course Components

• Students must attend all in-class lectures.
• Students must complete the mid-term exam, taking place in class, and the final exam, organized by the exams office. For both exams, students will be required to identify, describe, and discuss works of art of relevant artists in detail using the appropriate technical terminology. 
• Students must attend the object handling session on Oct. 26th to be able to complete the report assigned for the course that demonstrates their understanding of the concepts and themes covered and critical thinking in how they approach analyzing, identifying, and describing objects and artists’ methodologies.

Schedule of Classes

Week 1 (Sept. 10^th)

Lecture 1: Introduction to the class and review of the syllabus

Week 2 (Sept. 14^th and Sept. 17^th)

Lecture 2: What does it mean to study artists’ materials, and why do we do it? 

• Artists’ materials and techniques have evolved greatly over time and through the exchange of ideas between different civilizations. In this lecture, we will talk about why art historians are fascinated by the manufacturing methods used by artists and craftsmen to create a work of art. 

Lecture 3: Using scientific instruments to examine materials

• One of the ways that artists’ materials can be identified and dated is by using scientific tools. In this lecture, we will go over the different types of tools available to conservation scientists and how each instrument can provide information that may shed light on an object’s history, the methods employed by the artist, and its state of preservation. 

Week 3 (Sept. 21^st and Sept. 24^th)

Lecture 4: The development of books and manuscript illumination 

• This lecture will cover a short history of manuscript illumination in Europe and the methods used by illuminators.

Lecture 5: How do we study the materials used in manuscript illuminations?

• During this talk, we will look at a few examples where technical examinations have been used to study manuscripts and consider the fascinating findings of the Fitzwilliam Museum’s staff.
• Exploring the Fitzwilliam Museum’s “Illuminated Manuscripts in the Making:” https://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/illuminated/manuscript/discover.
• Beyond Words: Illuminated Manuscripts in Boston Collections (2016) https://beyondwords2016.org/#pre. (The catalogue is online here: https://archive.org/details/beyondwordsillum00hamb/page/n11/mode/2up)

Week 4 (Sept. 28^th and Oct. 1^st)

Lecture 6: Introduction to the manufacture of panel paintings and pigments

• For this lecture, we will discuss the construction of panel paintings, including an examination of the support and preparatory layers. We will also cover the types of paint an artist could have employed, such as egg tempera, tempera grassa, and oil.

Lecture 7: Technical analysis of panel paintings

• Continuing our discussion from Monday’s lecture, we will consider ways of studying the support and what that tells scholars about where the panel was assembled and when.
• Case studies of Italian and Northern panel paintings
• https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/art-culture/conservation/against-grain-construction-tudor-panel-paintings

Week 5 (Oct. 5^th and Oct. 8^th)

Lecture 8: Survey of the development of easel painting

• In this lecture, we will cover the emergence of easel painting in Europe and how canvas affected the way artists prepared their canvases.

Lecture 9: Technical studies of easel paintings 

• As we continue the discussion of easel paintings, we will talk about various artists’ techniques and how technical analysis can be used to make attributions and date works of art. We will also cover the conservation issues facing works of art on canvas.

Week 6 (Oct. 15^th)

Lecture 10: Survey of fresco painting techniques: buon-fresco and secco-fresco

• In this lecture, we will examine fresco painting techniques closely, looking at key works.

Week 7 (Oct. 19^th and 22^nd)

Lecture 11: Technical studies of fresco paintings and conservation issues

• This week’s lecture will focus on the conservation of Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, the types of environmental issues that generally affect the preservation of frescoes, and how conservators treat them.

**In-class Mid-term exam October 22 **

Week 8 (Oct. 26^th and Oct. 29^th)

**Oct. 26^th is an object session in Rm. 115 in FIA, check Brightspace to find out what session to arrive for**

Lecture 12: History of tapestry production in Europe

• Although tapestry weaving shares some similarities with carpet weaving, it has a unique history that we will cover today.

Week 9 (Nov. 2^nd and Nov. 5^th)

**November 2^nd: guest lecture from Catherine Patterson, paintings conservator at the Getty Museum**

Lecture 13: Embroidery Techniques

• Embroidery has long acted as a record, drawing on the traditions of the craft, but also acting as a way for women to communicate history, politics, and personal stories to each other and the younger members of their community. Women, the kin keepers and communicators of this knowledge, weave their stories into the designs they create. In this lecture, we will cover a variety of embroidery techniques, considering the origins of certain designs and their impact (through trade and colonialism) on other societies.

Week 10 (Nov. 12^th)

Nov. 9-11 Reading Break

Lecture 14: Technical analysis of textiles 

• In this lecture, we will discuss how the technical analysis of threads in carpets, tapestries and embroideries can help elucidate information about the history of textiles and their origins. 
• Tapestries at the ISGM

Week 11 (Nov. 16^th and Nov. 19^th)

Lecture 15: The making of earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain ceramics

• This lecture will cover the development of soft and hard-paste porcelain and the evolution of ceramic shaping: hand building, coil building, slab building, moulding, and wheel throwing. It will also examine various types of decorative additions to porcelain using processes such as incision, moulding/sprigging, relief carving, inlay, and glazing.
• Watch a local ceramics artist at work: https://www.maryfoxpottery.ca/in-the-creation-room-with-mary-fox/

Lecture 16: Islamic ceramics

• In this lecture, we will talk about the development, materiality, and use of Islamic ceramics. We will also discuss how technical analysis can and has been applied to study Islamic ceramics and authenticate them.

Week 12 (Nov. 23^rd and Nov. 26^th)

**Assignment #1 is due Nov. 26th**

Lecture 17: Quattrocento earthenware in Europe 

• During this second lecture, we will discuss the development, materiality, and use of Maiolica. This will include a discussion of the types of technical analysis applied to studying Maiolica pieces.

Lecture 18: Chinese ceramics

• In this lecture, we will cover the development of hard-paste porcelain, covering clay types and important excavations of historic kiln sites.

Week 13 (Nov. 30^th and Dec. 3^rd)

 **Please note that the Dec. 3rd lecture will be posted online as a video as I will be away**

Lecture 19: Dutch and English Delftware and red stoneware

• During the second lecture this week, we will talk about examples of Dutch and English Delftware, its development and origins.

Lecture 20: Survey of polychrome sculpture, construction and uses.

• For the final lectures this term, we will cover the history of polychrome sculpture, looking at the earliest examples from the Bust of Nefertiti to the marble statue of Augustus from Prima Porta.

Week 14 (Dec. 7th)

Lecture 21: Technical studies of polychrome sculptures

• In our final lecture, I will conclude the discussion of polychrome sculptures, covering conservation issues these objects face and how conservators handle them. We will also do a quick overview of the course material covered in preparation for the final exam.

Posting of Grades

Typically marks for assignments, examinations, and provisional final grades, are made available through a Learning Management System (LMS) like Brightspace, where each student will be able to view only their own grades. Sometimes numerical marks/grades may be posted publicly to the entire class. In that case, full student numbers or names will not be included with the posted information.