During the past three years, a lecture/laboratory course on the Chemistry of Art has been developed with support from NSF (DUE/CCD). This is a materials-science course on the fabrication, examination, conservation and authentication of artifacts and it is an attractive and effective means of teaching science to non-scientists. Experience gained during the development and initial dissemination of the course structure and content are being used to develop a text. Case studies for the course (e.g., on the Sistine Chapel ceiling) are being completed for publication on CD-ROM. The first CD-ROM will present, in collaboration with the National Gallery of Art, a restoration archive for The Feast of the Gods, by Bellini/Dosi/Titian,, a famous "triple Decker" of three paintings on a single canvas, one on top of the other. The development of these course materials will be guided by formative and summative evaluation. The pedagogical program has spontaneously spawned an attractive research program, involving undergraduates... and this will continue to be developed. Projects underway include (i) tracing artistic influence through pigment analysis, (ii) authenticating a disputed Impressionist painting, and (iii) assessing restoration rough computer imaging.
