Fin-de-siècle friable media: a multimodal analytical survey of pastel, charcoal and chalk drawings from the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

The FRIABLE research project (2021–25) investigated the material composition, condition, and conservation challenges of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century drawings in friable media – such as pastel, charcoal, and chalk – preserved in the collection of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (RMFAB). Because these powdery media adhere weakly to their supports, such works are particularly vulnerable to damage during handling, display, and transport. Yet, conservation decision-making still depends on limited object-specific evidence. Within the broader project, which also addressed storage, handling, and preventive conservation questions, this paper focuses mainly on the technical study component. It presents a multidisciplinary methodology combining technical art history, archival research, condition documentation, in-situ technical imaging and non-invasive analysis. After an initial survey of approximately 100 drawings, a smaller group of works was selected for in-depth investigation in order to characterize their materials and techniques, study their surface structures, and understand their current condition. The workflow is illustrated through a detailed case study of a fin-de-siècle pastel drawing (Berthe Art, The Red Poppies, ca. 1897). The results show how integrating complementary imaging and analytical techniques can clarify artistic practice, material composition, and surface morphology. The paper demonstrates how technical evidence can support object-specific condition interpretation of friable media drawings in museum collections.