Born in Rangiora and a graduate of Canterbury University, Robin Clark is an internationally celebrated scientist, based at University College London where he was for many years the Sir William Ramsay Professor, Dean of Science and Head of Chemistry, recently becoming Ramsay Professor Emeritus. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London and Member of the American Philosophical Society, and was recently awarded the Franklin-Lavoisier prize for his work in Raman microscopy. Professor Clark has been involved in the examination of some of Europe’s best known artwork such as the Lindisfarne Gospels, Gutenberg Bibles, ‘old masters’ including Vermeer’s Young woman seated at a virginal, rare postage stamps, old maps, artefacts from Samarra, China,etc., and in the detection of forgeries from Egypt, Spain and elsewhere.
The lecture will highlight studies leading to the effective identification of pigments on manuscripts, paintings, papyri, icons, ceramics and archaeological artefacts, leading to the establishment of artists’ palettes at different periods and in different localities. These results, together with other related scientific ones at the Arts/Science interface, bear upon the restoration, conservation and dating of artefacts and the detection of forgeries. Rarely has an optical technique made such an impact on seemingly unrelated disciplines.
Auckland
Time: 7.00pm
Date: Wednesday 23 March
Location:Events Centre, Auckland War Memorial Museum
Book a FREE seat online at www.royalsociety.org.nz