Public lectures: Watermarks & Computational Art History

On Friday 16 May, the RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History, in collaboration with Teylers Museum, will organise a public lecture on watermark analysis using digital tools. Speakers are Prof. Rick Johnson and Dr. Rob Fucci. The afternoon event will take place at Teylers Museum, is free of charge and can also be followed online.

Watermark research
Watermarks are an important tool in the investigation of the origin, production and dating of works of art on paper. During this public lecture, Rick Johnson, pioneer in computational art history and professor emeritus at Cornell University, will discuss how digital techniques can help in dating 17th-century Dutch drawings. Rob Fucci, a specialist in early modern Dutch drawings and prints and affiliated with the University of Amsterdam, will speak about the importance of watermark research.

Project Watermarks
This public lecture on watermark analysis is part of the Watermarks research project, with which Rick Johnson and Rob Fucci are closely affiliated as researchers. In this project, led by the RKD, work is being done on improving watermark identification and comparison with innovative digital tools and image processing techniques. The research is being carried out in collaboration with various partners, including Teylers Museum. The public lecture is part of the four-day short course Watermarks & Computational Art History that will be given at the RKD in May.

Information
Date: Friday 16 May 2025
Time: 14:30-17:00
Location: Lecture hall of Teylers Museum, Spaarne 16 in Haarlem
Language: English
Price: free
Tickets: https://webshop.rkd.nl/public-lecture-watermarks.html
Online: https://webshop.rkd.nl/online-public-lecture-watermarks.html

Programme
14:15 Doors open
14:30 Welcome
14:40 Short introduction
14:45 Lecture: Assisting dating of 17th-century Dutch drawings using watermark matches by Rick Johnson
15:30 Lecture: Watermark matches in Rembrandt's drawings: a preliminary report by Rob Fucci
16:10 Q&A with Rick Johnson and Rob Fucci
16:30 Drinks until 17:30 at the latest