https://www.sciencenews.org/article/painting-beer-brew-yeast-art-canvas-denmark Skip to content Subscribe or renew today Every print subscription comes with full digital access Subscribe / Renew now Menu * All Topics + Life + Humans + Earth + Space + Physics + Coronavirus * Magazine * Century of Science * Menu + All Stories + Multimedia + Reviews + Collections + For Educators + Coronavirus Outbreak * About * For Students * Donate Science News INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM SINCE 1921 Search [ ] Open search Close search Science News INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM SINCE 1921 * All Topics + Earth o Agriculture o Climate o Oceans o Environment + Humans o Anthropology o Health & Medicine o Archaeology o Psychology + Life o Animals o Plants o Ecosystems o Paleontology o Neuroscience o Genetics o Microbes + Physics o Materials Science o Quantum Physics o Particle Physics + Space o Astronomy o Planetary Science o Cosmology + Tech o Computing o Artificial Intelligence + Chemistry + Math + Science & Society All Topics * Life + Life o Animals o Plants o Ecosystems o Paleontology o Neuroscience o Genetics o Microbes + o Plants Soil microbes that survived tough climates can help young trees do the same By Erin Garcia de JesusMay 25, 2023 o Life 5,000 deep-sea animals new to science turned up in ocean records By Jude ColemanMay 25, 2023 o Neuroscience A brain implant helped a man with paralysis walk more naturally By Simon MakinMay 24, 2023 * Humans + Humans o Anthropology o Health & Medicine o Archaeology o Psychology + o Humans Oldest traces of a dysentery-causing parasite were found in ancient toilets By Freda KreierMay 25, 2023 o Chemistry 19th century painters may have primed their canvases with beer-brewing leftovers By McKenzie PrillamanMay 24, 2023 o Neuroscience A brain implant helped a man with paralysis walk more naturally By Simon MakinMay 24, 2023 * Earth + Earth o Agriculture o Climate o Oceans o Environment + o Climate Why the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season is especially hard to predict By Carolyn GramlingMay 26, 2023 o Environment This house was built partly from recycled diapers By Carolyn GramlingMay 26, 2023 o Plants Soil microbes that survived tough climates can help young trees do the same By Erin Garcia de JesusMay 25, 2023 * Space + Space o Astronomy o Planetary Science o Cosmology + o Planetary Science A quake on Mars showed its crust is thicker than Earth's By Lisa GrossmanMay 26, 2023 o Planetary Science Jupiter's lightning bolts contort the same way as Earth's By Nikk OgasaMay 23, 2023 o Planetary Science Saturn's rings may be no more than 400 million years old By Nikk OgasaMay 22, 2023 * Physics + Physics o Materials Science o Quantum Physics o Particle Physics + o Environment This house was built partly from recycled diapers By Carolyn GramlingMay 26, 2023 o Planetary Science Jupiter's lightning bolts contort the same way as Earth's By Nikk OgasaMay 23, 2023 o Physics Science explains why shouting into the wind seems futile By Emily ConoverMay 11, 2023 * Coronavirus News Chemistry 19th century painters may have primed their canvases with beer-brewing leftovers Brewer's yeast proteins turned up in several works by two of Denmark's most famous artists 'The 84-Gun Danish Warship "Dronning Marie" in the Sound' painting, which shows one large ship sailing flanked by two small ships The 1834 painting The 84-Gun Danish Warship "Dronning Marie" in the Sound by Danish artist Cristoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg contains proteins from brewer's yeast in its base layer. The National Gallery of Denmark Share this: * Email * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Pocket * Reddit * Print By McKenzie Prillaman May 24, 2023 at 2:00 pm Beer breweries' trash may have been Danish painters' treasure. The base layer of several paintings created in Denmark in the mid-1800s contains remnants of cereal grains and brewer's yeast, the latter being a common by-product of the beer brewing process, researchers report May 24 in Science Advances. The finding hints that artists may have used the leftovers to prime their canvases. Records suggest that Danish house painters sometimes created glossy, decorative paint by adding beer, says Cecil Krarup Andersen, a conservator at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen. But yeast and cereal grains have never been found in primer. Andersen had been studying paintings from the Danish Golden Age, an explosion of artistic creativity in the first half of the 19th century, at the National Gallery of Denmark. Understanding these paintings' chemical compositions is key to preserving them, she says. As part of this work, she and colleagues looked at 10 pieces by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, considered the father of Danish painting, and his protege Christen Schiellerup Kobke. Canvas trimmings from an earlier conservation effort allowed for an in-depth analysis that wouldn't have otherwise been possible, since the process destroys samples. In seven paintings, Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteins turned up, as well as various combinations of wheat, barley, buckwheat and rye proteins. All these proteins are involved in beer fermentation (SN: 9/19/17). Tests of an experimental primer that the researchers whipped up using residual yeast from modern beer brewing showed that the mixture held together and provided a stable painting surface -- a primary purpose of a primer. And this concoction worked much better than one made with beer. Beer was the most common drink in 1800s Denmark, and it was akin to liquid gold. Water needed to be treated prior to consuming and the brewing process took care of that. As a result, plenty of residual yeast would have been available for artists to purchase, the researchers say. If the beer by-product is found in paintings by other artists, Andersen says, that information can help conservators better preserve the works and better understand the artists' lives and craftsmanship. "It's another piece of the puzzle." Questions or comments on this article? E-mail us at feedback@sciencenews.org | Reprints FAQ Citations F. Di Gianvincenzo et al. Proteomic identification of beer brewing products in the ground layer of Danish Golden Age paintings. Science Advances. Published online May 24, 2023. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ade7686. [m_prillaman-214x214] About McKenzie Prillaman * E-mail * Twitter McKenzie Prillaman is the Spring 2023 science writing intern at Science News. She holds a bachelor's degree in neuroscience with a minor in bioethics from the University of Virginia and a master's degree in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. This article was supported by readers like you. Our mission is to provide accurate, engaging news of science to the public. That mission has never been more important than it is today. As a nonprofit news organization, we cannot do it without you. Your support enables us to keep our content free and accessible to the next generation of scientists and engineers. Invest in quality science journalism by donating today. Donate Now [cards-330x66] Related Stories 1. photo of someone pulling a pint of beer Microbes The ancestor to modern brewing yeast has been found hiding in Ireland By Darren IncorvaiaDecember 7, 2022 2. flasks of yeast Life This biochemist brews a wild beer By Tina Hesman SaeySeptember 19, 2017 3. Claude Monet's 1899 painting "Charing Cross Bridge". 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