Violon. Céret by Pablo Picasso: the case of a lost painting. A Methodological Approach

A methodological approach used for the study of a painting from Pablo Picasso's cubist period is suggested to verify its authenticity: a multidisciplinary research and activity allowed us to identify a work of art by the Spanish painter which was been considered lost. The painting was produced by the artist in 1912 during his second stay in Céret (southern France), and some issues about the story of this lost work of art until it was discovered in Italy in 2013, remain still unresolved. The events related to its collection and the causes that led to the painting somewhat troubled history from a preservation point of view are unknown, and for this reason its presence in the catalog raisonné by Christian Zervos (edition of 1942) with the title Violon. Céret assumes a particular importance. Given the complexity of this survey - due in part to the condition of the painting - and the convergence of various disciplines around the object/work of art, this study aims to indicate a methodological approach in order to ensure the reliability and the scientific rigor of the research. A cognitive survey of an art object necessarily requires historical, technical/scientific (as regards its material realization) and aesthetic evaluation. The study was based on an integrated protocol that uses both in situ non-invasive and micro-invasive techniques together with historical and aesthetical evaluation. In detail, photographic imaging, FORS, X-Ray fluorescence, SEM-EDX, analytical pyrolysis coupled with mass spectrometry, and HPLC with high resolution mass spectrometry were combined to obtain a complete picture of the composition of the artwork. The results obtained with this multi analytical approach have demonstrated the compatibility of the constituent materials of the painting with its period of creation - in the year 1912 - confirming the results of expert opinions based on stylistic data and study of documentary sources.