Zinc, Paint loss and Harmony in blue: Degradation problems in Peder Severin Krøyer´s paintings and the possible role of zinc white

P.S. Krøyer’s late and most popular paintings have proven very difficult to preserve, and as zinc white has been known to cause structural problems in paintings, the authors investigate if the damage seen in the late paintings can be related to the use of this relatively new pigment. Eight paintings were examined and the results suggest that the shift from using one white pigment to another took place between 1884 and 1889. After 1889, only zinc white was found in the analyzed paint layers. However, the results indicate that the recurring damage in Krøyer’s later paintings cannot be explained by the presence of zinc white alone