Eric Pitteloud © UNIL

Obviously a clear, coherent strategy was needed before analysing the globes any further. Experts at UNIL’s School of Forensic Science (ESC) were called for assistance.

A meeting was set up in late June 2013 with Prof Geneviève Massonnet, a chemist and expert on contemporary varnishes, and Dr Williams Mazzella, an expert on counterfeit money. They first of all put us in touch with experts at the Graduate School of Arts in Bern (HKB|HEAB) with whom UNIL collaborates, particularly for appraisals on ancient resins and colorants.

Secondly ESC’s expertise in photography was tapped to record digital images of the globes that could then be georeferenced to create a 3D simulation.