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Abstract

For more than one and a half decades, the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences has been engaged in the analysis of the reality content of images, especially the Dutch landscape paintings of the 17 th Century. Initially, the focus lay on the research question whether the pictures are suitable to be used as climate archives. Very soon it became apparent, however, that landscape paintings offer no reliable proxy data for climate research. Natural archives are far more precise. Historical and art historical arguments may provide information on the limits of the validity of scientific content of the painting. Conversely, however, it could be shown that the natural sciences in collaboration with art history and other social science disciplines allow an improved access to the interpretation of the paintings. In particular, for the analysis of climatological, meteorological, and geological aspects of landscape painting geosciences prove to be a valuable tool.