Comparison of x‐ray absorption and emission techniques for the investigation of paintings

Abstract

Four x‐ray techniques: computed radiography, emission radiography, energy‐resolved radiography and imaging x‐ray fluorescence were compared using four mock‐up panel paintings. The paintings have different stratigraphy and pigments and are representative for different historical periods. One of the paintings has a hidden underlying painting. The type of pigments used mainly influences the information obtained by both the emission and absorption measurements; high‐Z white pigment and high‐Z color pigments giving the best contrast.Each of the techniques revealed interesting aspects of the paintings, but none of them could reveal the hidden painting to a satisfactory level. Due to the statistical quality of the spectral data, x‐ray fluorescence gives elemental images with high contrast. The radiographic images are better to reveal the internal structure.Imaging x‐ray fluorescence and energy‐resolved radiography measurements can be done simultaneously, and the combination has the highest potential for the study of complex multilayer paintings. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Study of the uniformity of aerosol filters by scanning MA‐XRF

“…A detailed description of this setup is given in the literature. [16] In this case, the filters were attached to a Mylar foil that was stretched over a Plexiglas frame as shown in Fig. 2.…”

“…The incident beam hits the sample at 90°, and the silicon drift detector is at 45° relative to the beam. A detailed description of this setup is given in the literature . In this case, the filters were attached to a Mylar foil that was stretched over a Plexiglas frame as shown in Fig.…”

Non-invasive sub-surface analysis of the male portrait underlying the Titian’s Studio Ecce Homo

“…Nonetheless, apart from the use of radioactive sources, NAAR's significant disadvantage is the absence of portable devices requiring transportation of the analysed paintings to the dedicated laboratory. Providing additional research tools to address the challenges presented in the study of paintings hidden under later pictorial compositions, the scanner X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique has the potential to not only reveal contours of underlying works, but also to yield maps of elemental distribution, thus, suggesting the presence of certain pigments [11][12][13][14][15][16]. The above described techniques are powerful tools, which are rapidly developing and conquering the field of the heritage science.…”