Technical Bulletin

The National Gallery Technical Bulletin, first published in 1977, has achieved a leading position in the study of the materials and techniques of painting, and the scientific examination of paintings. Published annually, it is essential reading for conservators, conservation scientists, art historians, collectors and curators.

Drawing on the combined expertise of curators, scientists and conservators, it brings together a wealth of information about artists' materials, practices and techniques.

Browse the archives from the listing below, or search via the indexes: artist index, author index, volume index

Series editor: Marika Spring

Technical Bulletin Volume 36

In this volume: Titian after 1540: Technique and Style in his Later Works - Catalogue - The Conservation History of Titian’s ‘Diana and Actaeon’ and ‘Diana and Callisto’

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 35

In this volume: Joshua Reynolds in the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection – Practice Makes Imperfect: Reynolds's Painting Technique – Catalogue

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 34

In this volume: Titian's Painting Technique to c.1540 - Catalogue - Recovering Titian: The Cleaning and Restoration of Three Overlooked Paintings

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 33

In this volume: Renoir’s 'Umbrellas' – Gerini’s 'Baptism Altarpiece' – Vuillard’s 'La Terrasse at Vasouy' - Adolphe Monticelli - 15th and 16th century European paintings

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 5 and key stage 4

Technical Bulletin Volume 32

In this volume: Leonardo in Verrocchio's workshop – 'The Virgin of the Rocks' – painting practice in Milan in the 1490s – an altarpiece once in San Francesco Grande, Milan

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 31

In this volume: Verrocchio – Giorgione's 'Il Tramonto' – 'The Virgin and Child with an Angel', after Francia – Perugino’s 'Baptism of Christ' – Rembrandt – Reynolds

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 5 and key stage 4

Technical Bulletin Volume 30

In this anniversary volume: Sassetta's Sansepolcro altarpiece – Sebastiano del Piombo – Velázquez's 'Christ after the Flagellation' – Cuyp's 'Large Dort' – Corot

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 29

In this volume: Cézanne's practice – Fragonard's 'The Fountain of Love' – Annibale Carracci's 'Montalto Madonna' – Quinten Massys – Giotto's 'Pentecost'

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 28

In this volume: Bernardo Daddi's 'Coronation of the Virgin' – Tintoretto's 'Saint George and the Dragon' – Titian's 'A Boy with a Bird' – Monet's palette – red lake pigments

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 27

In this volume: The Master of the Story of Griselda – Perugino's 'Madonna di Loreto' – Perugino's workshop – gilding and illusion in the paintings of Bernardino Fungai

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 26

In this volume: Rubens – Van Bassen – Mazo's 'Queen Mariana' – pigment-medium interactions with smalt – red lake pigment manufacture – analyses of paint media

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 25

In this volume: Raphael – Polidoro da Caravaggio’s ‘Way to Calvary’ – Lancret’s ‘The Four Times of Day’ – relative humidity and pigment change – the fading of Prussian blue

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 24

In this volume: Georges Seurat – Giulio Romano – Marinus van Reymerswale – Goossen van der Weyden – medium interactions with lead-based pigments – 'black earths'

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 23

In this volume: Fra Angelico – Garofalo's technique – Daubigny – the blackening of vermilion – X-ray images of paintings – MARC II camera – adhesives and gap fillers

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 22

In this volume: Paolo Uccello – Vincenzo Foppa – Ercole de' Roberti – Andrea del Sarto's technique – colour change in 'The Conversion of the Magdalen' – varnish

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 21

In this volume: Michael Pacher – fluorite – a Virgin and Child from Dürer's workshop? – Lorenzo Monaco – Cima da Conegliano – discovery of an original varnish – pollution

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 20

In this volume: the painter's trade in the 17th century – Van Dyck's technique – Van Dyck's paint medium – Rubens's 'Peace and War' – the Rubens studio

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 19

In this volume: 'The Ambassadors' – Paolo Uccello – Peyron – Caravaggio – Lorenzo Lotto – shock and vibration during the transportation of paintings – paint media

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 18

In this volume: Northern European painting, 1400–1550 – Stephan Lochner – Rogier van der Weyden – Gossaert's 'Adoration of the Kings' – Wolf Huber

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 17

In this volume: Giampietrino and Boltraffio – Florentine panel paintings – Veronese – red lake pigments – colour change – paint media – pictures cleaned and restored

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 16

In this volume: Veronese – the Carracci Cartoons – Jan van Eyck – reflectograms – photographic flash – paint media – FTIR-microscopy – pictures cleaned and restored

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 15

In this volume: Holbein – 'The Virgin and Child before a Firescreen' – Tiepolo – Tura – Fabritius – Rembrandt – light-induced colour changes – protective glass

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 14

In this volume: Raphael's 'Garvagh Madonna' – Laurent de la Hyre – Canaletto – Bramantino – Prussian blue – the VASARI project – pictures cleaned and restored

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 13

In this volume: the restoration of the Leonardo Cartoon – Carlo Crivelli – Caspar David Friedrich – ultra-violet filters – paint media – pictures cleaned and restored

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 12

In this volume: multi-purpose conservation table – Martin van Heemskerck – Quentin Massys – Gainsborough – Lorenzo Monaco – measuring colour change – paint media

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 11

In this volume: Tura's 'Allegorical Figure' – an updated packing design – Vincent van Gogh – Samuel van Hoogstraten – fluorescent lamps – paint media

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 10

In this volume: Cima da Conegliano – Wright of Derby – Ercole de' Roberti – Dieric Bouts's techniques – glazes, pigments and paints – pictures cleaned and restored

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 9

In this volume: fluorescent lamps – Impressionist paintings – Nardo di Cione – Cima da Conegliano – George Stubbs's mediums – lining and colour change – paint media

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 8

In this volume: proteinaceous binders – Raphael – Tintoretto – Ugolino di Nerio – packing: a case study – panel trays – pictures cleaned and restored

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 7

In this volume: Manet's 'The Waitress' – 'The Death of the Virgin' – Rubens – Altdorfer's 'Christ Taking Leave of His Mother' – paint media

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 6

In this volume: organic mass-spectrometry – du Jardin – Rubens' 'The Watering Place' – Canaletto – Hogarth – pictures cleaned and restored

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 5

In this volume: environmental control – Monet – Dosso Dossi – Goya – Francesco del Cossa – wax-resin lining – pictures cleaned and restored

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 4

In this volume: Perugino's Certosa di Pavia altarpiece – Tintoretto – blanching – George Stubbs – paint media – pictures cleaned and restored

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 3

In this volume: Tintoretto – penetration of radiation into old paint films – Moroni – laser microspectral analysis – Gerard David – paint media

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 2

In this volume: the conservation department – Bellini – Titian – reflectance spectrophotometry – Giovanni di Paolo – oxygen starvation – organic analysis

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5

Technical Bulletin Volume 1

In this volume: Sassetta's Sansepolcro altarpiece – the Gallery's scientific department – Perugino – identifying lake pigment dyestuffs – the Master of Saint Giles

Technical bulletin, suitable for key stage 4 and key stage 5