{"id":1573,"date":"2026-04-07T08:45:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T08:45:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/?page_id=1573"},"modified":"2026-04-07T08:54:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T08:54:45","slug":"aracne-case-studies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/aracne\/aracne-case-studies\/","title":{"rendered":"Aracne: Case Studies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rubens and his copies of Titian\u2019s works: Using thread count maps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of Rubens\u2019s activity during his second visit to Madrid, from September 1628 to April 1629, Francisco Pacheco wrote, \u2018It seems incredible that he should have painted so much in so short a time and amidst so many occupations.\u2019 Among the works painted by Rubens in that time, he mentions \u2018five or six portraits\u2019 of \u2018private individuals\u2019 and claims that he also \u2018copied everything by Titian in the king\u2019s possession\u2019. Considering that the Spanish royal collection contained over fifty Titians at the time, it is unlikely that Rubens was able to create full-scale copies of them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Prado owns two of Rubens\u2019s copies of originals by Titian, Adam and Eve and The Rape of Europa, which have been analysed to determine whether they were painted during his stay in Madrid, as Pacheco maintained, or at his home\/workshop in Antwerp upon returning from Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n    .artwork-row {\n        display: flex;\n        gap: 20px;\n        margin: 30px 0;\n        flex-wrap: wrap;\n        justify-content: center;\n    }\n    .artwork-container {\n        flex: 1;\n        min-width: 300px;\n        max-width: 420px;\n        text-align: center;\n        background: #fff;\n        padding: 10px;\n        border: 1px solid #eee;\n        box-shadow: 0 4px 10px rgba(0,0,0,0.05);\n    }\n    .artwork-container img {\n        width: 100%;\n        height: 250px; \/* Fixed height for symmetry *\/\n        object-fit: cover; \/* Keeps aspect ratio clean *\/\n        border-radius: 2px;\n    }\n    .artwork-caption {\n        margin-top: 10px;\n        font-size: 0.9em;\n        color: #555;\n        font-style: italic;\n    }\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {\n        .artwork-row { flex-direction: column; align-items: center; }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"artwork-row\">\n    <div class=\"artwork-container\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/andaneve.jpg\" alt=\"Adam and Eve - Titian\">\n        <div class=\"artwork-caption\">Adam and Eve, Titian (Museo del Prado)<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"artwork-container\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/rapeeurope.jpg\" alt=\"The Rape of Europa - Titian\">\n        <div class=\"artwork-caption\">The Rape of Europa, Titian (Museo del Prado)<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Materials analysis had confirmed that Adam and Eve was painted in Madrid during Rubens\u2019s trip to Spain in 1628. However, the results of tests on The Rape of Europa were inconclusive, and it was decided that Aracne should be used to compare the canvases of both works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The histograms and thread count maps proved particularly useful in this case, allowing us to prove that the same fabric was used for both paintings, although one is rotated in relation to the other. The fact that the two scenes were painted on two pieces of canvas cut consecutively from the same cloth confirms that Rubens made both in Madrid.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following image shows the histograms with the vertical (left) and horizontal (right) thread counts of the two works, Adam and Eve above and The Rape of Europa below. The statistical results, mean and mode, of these estimations are displayed to the right of the histograms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/countsRubens-1024x637.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/countsRubens-1024x637.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/countsRubens-300x186.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/countsRubens-768x477.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/countsRubens-1536x955.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/countsRubens-1600x995.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/countsRubens.jpg 1908w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The weft tends to look like a Gaussian curve, because the weaver tenses the thread differently every time it passes from side to side. But the arrangement of the warp is decisive and depends on how the threads are tied onto the loom. The upper left histogram is similar to the lower right one; in both cases, we see concentrations of densities at around three or four, with the highest values being 18 and 18.28, respectively. This tells us that the vertical warp threads in&nbsp;<em>Adam and Eve<\/em>&nbsp;match the horizontal threads in&nbsp;<em>The Rape of Europa<\/em>. This coincidence proves that the two fabrics are related, which is also confirmed when we compare the distribution of densities on the thread count maps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"469\" src=\"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mapsrubens-1024x469.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1577\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mapsrubens-1024x469.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mapsrubens-300x137.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mapsrubens-768x352.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mapsrubens-1536x703.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mapsrubens-1600x733.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mapsrubens.jpg 1904w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The image shows that thread density matches across the support surface, varying identically along the length of the warp and weft of both paintings, although Adam and Eve is rotated 90\u00ba so that its vertical threads align with the horizontal threads in The Rape of Europa. In both cases, we can see that the artist used two pieces of fabric sewn together in the middle. Thread count is higher on the outer edges of the canvas than in the central part.\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The results of this study were published in &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.museodelprado.es\/aprende\/boletin\/rubens-in-madrid-1628-29-new-technical-evidence\/1ef2076d-ae6c-4213-8ab9-cc3602639171\">Rubens en Madrid (1628-29): nuevos datos t\u00e9cnicos sobre sus copias de Tiziano y un nuevo retrato<\/a>&#8216;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other Results<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Jover, L. Gayo and L. Alba (2019). \u2018Sofonisba Anguissola en el Museo del Prado. Una aproximaci\u00f3n a su t\u00e9cnica.\u2019 In\u00a0<em>Historia de dos pintoras: Sofonisba Anguissola y Lavinia Fontana<\/em>. Museo Nacional del Prado.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alba, L. (2018). \u2018El estudio de los soportes textiles a trav\u00e9s de la radiograf\u00eda. Los soportes espa\u00f1oles del siglo XVII.\u2019 In\u00a0<em>\u00a0La rivista del restauro\u00a0<\/em>111\u2013112, pp. 143\u2013149.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vergara, L. Alba, L. Gayo and M. Jover (2017). \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/es.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ingrid_Daubechies\">La elaboraci\u00f3n en dos etapas del Meleagro y Atalanta de Jacob Jordaens<\/a>\u00a0en el Museo del Prado. Consideraciones t\u00e9cnicas.\u2019 In\u00a0<em>Bolet\u00edn del Museo del Prado\u00a0<\/em>53, pp. 76\u201382.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Aterido, A. and L. Alba (2013). \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.museodelprado.es\/aprende\/boletin\/juan-fernandez-el-labrador-miguel-de-pret-y-la\/45c061ad-0a5f-4edd-a70a-4e64973ae01f\">Juan Fern\u00e1ndez el Labrador, Miguel de Pret y la \u201cconstrucci\u00f3n\u201d de la naturaleza muerta<\/a>.\u2019 In\u00a0<em>Bolet\u00edn del Museo del Prado\u00a0<\/em>31, p. 34.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vergara, A., L. Alba and L. Gayo (2013). \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/content3.cdnprado.net\/imagenes\/proyectos\/personalizacion\/7317a29a-d846-4c54-9034-6a114c3658fe\/ElPrado\/interactivos\/aracne\/aracne-densidades-vert.webp\">Rubens en Madrid (1628-29): nuevos datos t\u00e9cnicos sobre sus copias de Tiziano y un nuevo retrato<\/a>.\u2019\u00a0<em>Bolet\u00edn del Museo del Prado\u00a0<\/em>31, p. 183.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rubens and his copies of Titian\u2019s works: Using thread count maps Speaking of Rubens\u2019s activity during his second visit to&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":608,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1573","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1573"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1586,"href":"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1573\/revisions\/1586"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grupo.us.es\/gapsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}