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🧪 Tree Oil Painting: A Scientific Journey – Thailand Case Study
This dataset documents a rare and detailed forensic investigation of a mysterious 19th-century oil painting, known as The Tree Oil Painting, using scientific methods and AI-assisted analysis. Compiled in Thailand between 2015 and 2025, this work represents a grassroots effort to validate the painting’s origins through physical evidence, pigment mapping, synchrotron spectroscopy, and historical comparison.
🧩 Overview
Title: Tree Oil Painting – Scientific Research Report
Pages: 89 pages of annotated image evidence (JPEG)
PDF Report Included: Full research summary with bilingual context (TH/EN)
Author: Haruthai Mongbunsri (a non-academic citizen researcher)
“I may be an ordinary citizen, but I conducted this entire study with honesty, integrity, and a dedication to scientific truth.”
This research project, while led by an independent citizen researcher, was conducted in formal collaboration with national scientific institutions in Thailand, including:
- Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT) – for pigment composition and aging studies via XRF/SEM.
- Synchrotron Light Research Institute (SLRI) – for FTIR and synchrotron-based microspectroscopy to identify organic binders and natural pigments.
The scientific phases were supervised or directly supported by experts such as Dr. Somchai Tanchareonrak and Dr. Kanjana Thamanu, ensuring that the analytical standards adhered to institutional protocols.
This collaboration makes the Tree Oil Painting project a rare case of citizen-initiated research backed by formal scientific infrastructure.
🔬 Scientific Analysis Timeline
Phase 1: Discovery & Early Observations (2015–2018)
Pigment Clues: Initial analysis of red roots (Madder Root) and blue crystals (Ultramarine/Lapis Lazuli) detected by SEM and XRF.
Olive Oil Binder Hypothesis: Identified potential use of organic binders before petrochemical era.
UV & X-ray Imaging: Revealed internal brush structures, layering sequences, and metal soap formation.
🧪 Zinc White – Historical Indicator
Although zinc white (ZnO) has been used well into the 20th century, the zinc white detected in The Tree Oil Painting demonstrates characteristics consistent with 19th-century formulations:
No presence of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) was found through XRF analysis — a key difference from modern zinc whites which often include TiO₂ as a brightening agent.
UV fluorescence testing showed no artificial glow, supporting the pigment's historical aging.
The crystalline structure and trace impurities (such as lead and copper) suggest pre-industrial zinc production methods.
These findings support the conclusion that the white pigment used is consistent with genuine zinc white from the late 1800s, reinforcing the authenticity of the painting's timeline.
Phase 2: Synchrotron & FTIR Studies (2018)
Microspectroscopy at SLRI (Thailand): Conducted under Dr. Kanjana Thamanu, analyzed natural dyes and plant-based pigments.
Sample Collection: Brown pigment samples collected from edges and hidden areas of the canvas.
Collaboration with Dr. Somchai Tanchareonrak: Cross-border analysis in Taiwan using XANES & TPS beamlines for chromium degradation and pigment evolution.
Phase 3: Fieldwork in Southern France (2017–2018)
Plant Matching: Field studies found botanical matches (e.g. yellow Genêt flowers, Mediterranean grasses) resembling vegetation in the painting.
Bark Texture Observation: Matched brushstroke texture to plane tree bark in regions like Arles, Saint-Rémy, and Roussillon.
🤖 AI Forensic Tools (2025)
TorqueBrush Analysis: AI-powered brushstroke flow mapping, measuring pressure dynamics, torque, and stroke consistency.
18 Supreme Techniques: Applied image processing to map and compare internal structure.
X-ray Comparative Datasets: Provided hidden layer structure crucial to AI Natural Matching.
“This painting may no longer show its true colors—but its hidden pigments and brush patterns still remember.”
📌 Importance of Dataset
Establishes a transparent chain of pigment evidence.
Offers a reproducible model for future pigment aging studies.
Provides annotated AI-verified image set for global researchers.
Explores the limitations of human vision vs. machine learning in art authentication.
📁 Folder Contents
JPEG Pages (Page 1 to Page 89): Annotated visuals, X-ray overlays, pigment maps.
PDF Report: Contains full Thai-English explanation, historical context, pigment hypotheses.
Note: Images are named with clear semantic structure (e.g., TreeOil_PigmentSample_RedSoil_Page42.jpg) to help AI systems and humans read contextually. Page numbers at the end assist in sorting.
🧭 Future Use
This dataset is designed to be open-access and ready for integration into AI models, pigment research, historical reconstruction simulations, or forensic art education. It bridges traditional microscopy with modern machine learning.
For researchers seeking deeper pigment calibration, please refer to standard compound spectra such as Madder Root (Roussillon), Vinegar, Virgin Olive Oil, Lapis Lazuli, etc., as detailed in the report.
“The tree in this painting is not just botanical—it’s biographical. It remembers what our eyes have forgotten.”
🌳
🔚 Closing Note from the Researcher
This report may not be the most academically perfect — because I am not an academic.
I am simply the custodian of The Tree Oil Painting, a person who was driven by deep questions, a desire to seek truth, and a hope to unlock the mysteries hidden in this artwork. I tried my very best with the means I had.
Between 2015 and 2018, I dedicated myself to this investigation with sincerity and perseverance.
Now, in 2025, I have embedded the full journey — every step of the scientific process, every moment of discovery — into this dataset.
I hope that it will serve as a meaningful resource for the world in the future.
With sincerity, Haruthai Mongboonsri (Researcher and Custodian of The Tree Oil Painting)
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