Untitled

Front / Recto

Title Untitled
Negative Date c. 1930
Print Date c. 1930–35
Medium Gelatin silver print
Dimensions Image 11 5/8 x 9" (29.5 x 22.8 cm)
Place Taken Prague
Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Abbott-Levy Collection funds, by exchange
MoMA Accession Number 1797.2001

Mount Type No mount
Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in blue pencil on sheet verso, top center: c. 6/[Nr. or str.] 4. Inscribed in red pencil on sheet verso, center: ↑. Signed in turquoise ink on sheet verso, bottom center: Adolf Navara. Inscribed in blue pencil on sheet verso, bottom right: [IM2 or IMQ] [crossed out]. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom center: TW 891103. Inscribed in pencil on sheet verso, bottom center: P [illegible characters] 0 [erased].
Provenance The artist. Rudolf Skopez, Prague [1]; to Galerie Rudolf Kicken, Cologne [2]; purchased by Thomas Walther, possibly November 1989 [3]; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 16; Rudolf Kicken, e-mail to Simon Bieling, April 20, 2005. Rudolf Skopez was a Czech historian.
[2] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 16; Kicken, e-mail to Bieling.
[3] Thomas Walther archival no. TW 891103 on sheet verso.

Surface Sheen Semireflective
Techniques Enlargement
PTM

View of the recto of the artwork made using reflectance transformation imaging (RTI) software, which exaggerates subtle surface details and renders the features of the artwork plainly visible. Department of Conservation, MoMA
Micro-raking

Raking-light close-up image, as shot. Area of detail is 6.7 x 6.7 mm. Department of Conservation, MoMA

Raking-light close-up image, processed. Processing included removal of color, equalization of the histogram, and sharpening, all designed to enhance visual comparison. Department of Conservation, MoMA

Format Metric
Weight Double weight
Thickness (mm) 0.25
UV Fluorescence Recto negative
Verso negative
Fiber Analysis Softwood bleached sulfite 73%
Hardwood bleached sulfite 15%
Rag 10%
Bast 3%
Material Techniques Developing-out paper
XRF
This work was determined to be a gelatin silver print via X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry.

The following elements have been positively identified in the work, through XRF readings taken from its recto and verso (or from the mount, where the verso was not accessible):
- Recto: P, S, Ca, Zn, Sr, Ag, Ba
- Verso: Al, Si, S, Fe, Zn, Sr, Ba
The graphs below show XRF spectra for three areas on the print: two of the recto—from areas of maximum and minimum image density (Dmax and Dmin)—and one of the verso or mount. The background spectrum represents the contribution of the XRF instrument itself. The first graph shows elements identified through the presence of their characteristic peaks in the lower energy range (0 to 8 keV). The second graph shows elements identified through the presence of their characteristic peaks in the higher energy range (8 to 40 keV).

Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Verso or Mount (blue), Background (red)
Elements identified: Al, Si, P, S, Ag, K, Ca, Ba

Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Verso or Mount (blue), Background (red)
Elements identified: Fe, Zn, Sr, Ag