The Higher Technical School of Engineering and the El Prado National Museum offers for the first time in Open Access, through its website, the Aracne , which facilitates the scientific study of the canvases used by the artists in their paintings. This program is the result of ten years of research and close collaboration between the Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University of Seville (Dr. Juan José Murillo) and the Technical Cabinet of the National Museum of the Prado (Dr. Laura Alba).

ARACNE is a digital tool that applies frequency analysis in an image of the fabric to characterize it automatically, precisely and objectively. For this, the software performs the automatic count of the threads that make up a fabric

regardless of the use or origin of the fabric. In the case of the Prado Museum, his interest focuses on characterizing the canvases used as supports by painters. For this reason, the software has been specifically designed to analyze the most used fabrics in easel paint: both those that have taffeta ligament and those of sarga ligament with simple patterns.

The Prado Museum has studied its collections for years using the Aracne program and has obtained important results both in the attribution, dating and origin of the works, and in the relationship established between them. Many of these results have been included in museum catalogs and publications. An example of authorship change is found in the recent exhibition "Herrera El Mozo and the Total Baroque" held 2023, where the artillery general, traditionally attributed to Francisco Rizzi, became considered the work of Herrera El Mozo, thanks to the study of the tissue of the canvas of the work.

In the exhibition "History of two painters: Sofonisba Anguissola and Lavinia Fontana" (2019), the dating of the portrait of Felipe II was changed. Traditionally dated in 1565, Aracne determined that its creation had to be delayed at 1573 when it was painted on the same canvas as the portrait of Ana of Austria. Also, thanks to this software, it has been established that the copies that Rubens made of the paintings of Adam and Eva and the rapture of Europe of Tiziano were painted in Madrid and on canvases that came from the same cloth roll.

The good results obtained with Aracne and the commitment, both from the University of Seville and the Prado Museum, with the scientific community, have led to freely offer this innovative program in Open Access. From today any user can download this software through the website of the Prado Museum, where its methodology of use and the origin of the project is explained, in addition to some examples of its application. Finally, the current research lines are outlined, which apply artificial intelligence to improve the results on certain canvases of singular characteristics.

ARACNE is an example of work and collaboration between institutions from apparently remote areas such as mathematical art and analysis, in addition to an example of generosity of two public institutions that seek to advance the knowledge of cultural heritage.

Download information and images https://www.museodelprado.es/museo/accesso-profesional

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