Neptune

Front / Recto

Mount Type No mount
Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in blue pen on sheet verso, top center: "Neptun" 1916. Stamped in black ink on sheet verso, top center: KERNY ISTVAN [inscribed in blue pen: i hagyatéka 1060/b]/BUDAPEST/S B [three illegible characters]. Inscribed in blue pen on sheet verso, center left: r = 8' cm. Stamped in black ink on sheet verso, center: No. 2136. Inscribed in black ink on sheet verso, along the left perimeter: 1060/a. Inscribed in black ink on sheet verso, center: Jupiter [crossed out]. Inscribed in black ink on sheet verso, bottom center: -Jux photo-.
Provenance The artist; by inheritance to the artist's family, Budapest [1]; to Lajos Gyori, Budapest [2]; to Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York, c. 1995 [3]; purchased by Thomas Walther, July 18, 1995 [4]; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] Csaba Morocz, e-mail to Simon Bieling, June 2005.
[2] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 10; and Attila Pöcze (Vintage Gallery, Budapest), e-mail to Bieling, June 9, 2005. Lajos Gyori was a photographer and collector in Budapest.
[3] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 10; and Alicia Colen (Howard Greenberg Gallery), e-mail to Maria Morris Hambourg, November 5, 2013.
[4] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 10; and Howard Greenberg Gallery invoice no. 95-0433, July 18, 1995.

Surface Sheen Glossy
Techniques Retouching (additive)
Coating
Enlargement
Double exposure
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

Weight Double weight
Thickness (mm) 0.28
UV Fluorescence Recto negative
Verso negative
Fiber Analysis Softwood bleached sulfite 69%
Hardwood bleached sulfite 1%
Rag 7%
Grass 21%
Softwood bleached kraft/soda 2%
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, Pb
- Verso: Al, Si, S, Ca, Zn, Sr, Ba, Pb
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, Ca, Ag, Ba

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