Contribution of surface state characterization to studies of works of art

Abstract

This paper has two purposes. The first one underlines that qualitative and quantitative studies of surface states lead to relevant information for analyzing works of art, with lots of potential for art history, restorers, and curators. The discrimination between different artistic techniques and the influence of a varnish on the leveling of paint surfaces are presented. The second purpose is the comparison between different nondestructive optical topographic methods, i.e., goniophotometry, optical coherence topography, and confocal microscopy, according to their accuracy, their discriminatory ability, their practicability inside a museum, and the size limits of the studied objects.

Using Optical Coherence Tomography to Characterize the Crack Morphology of Ceramic Glaze and Jade

“…The utilization of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in artworks' examination for the past several years has confirmed its feasibility (Elias et al, 2010;Targowski, 2008). The results not only aid authentication of museum collections, but also provide crucial information for understanding artworks' manufacturing technology and use history, as well as for continuing preservation.…”