Mobile Micro-X-ray Fluorescence Analysis (XRF) on Medieval Paintings

Herm, Christoph

doi:10.2533/chimia.2008.887

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Certain minerals of titanium, such as ilmenite (FeTiO 3 ) found at low concentration in the red ochre, could be the reason. Provenance of ochre can in principle be determined from such elemental analyses, as well as from comparison of particle size, crystal quality, and mineralogical composition . The contribution to titanium line from the escape peak of iron could be problematic in the interpretation of the result.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Provenance of ochre can in principle be determined from such elemental analyses, as well as from comparison of particle size, crystal quality, and mineralogical composition. [6,18] The contribution to titanium line from the escape peak of iron could be problematic in the interpretation of the result. However, this contribution to the titanium counts is small, taking into account iron's relative concentration and therefore the magnitude of iron's escape peak.…”

Section: Figural Paintings On the Lower Wall In The Northern Islementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Examples of both portable and stationary XRF systems used for in situ and ex situ studies are numerous and diverse in the literature. Some recent applications are for paintings, investigation of paintings and other cultural heritage objects along with complementary analytical techniques, a remote‐controlled system used for field investigation, and analysis of murals using confocal synchrotron micro‐XRF . The typical characteristics of a handheld XRF were also deemed appropriate for investigations of Ethiopian artifacts in the field.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Application of a portable XRF analyzer to investigate the medieval wall paintings of Yemrehanna Krestos Church, Ethiopia

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite the large body of ancient Ethiopian works of art in the form of murals, icons, and illuminated manuscripts, the physicochemical examinations carried out on them are few. This study is an in situ investigation of the wall paintings in the early 12th century Yemrehanna Krestos Church, Ethiopia. Fast, onsite, nondestructive analysis of the painting materials was carried out using a portable X-ray energy fluorescence dispersive spectrometer. It is believed to be the first onsite technical examination of Ethiopian mural paintings. This work resulted in information about the painting materials and the existence of different painting programs. The analysis revealed that the main pigments were red and yellow ochre, minium, cinnabar, orpiment, gypsum, lead, and white and carbon black; those typically employed in medieval times with no indication of later conservation-restoration intervention. Correlation between concentration of elements and multivariate statistical analysis was used to identify the most probable compounds and to classify sets of pigments used in two painting programs. The portable X-ray energy dispersive fluorescence spectrometer analyzer is found valuable to guide the in situ analysis and assess potential sites for microsampling for further investigations with complementary analytical techniques. However, in this expedition, we were unable to collect sufficient microsamples to warrant adequate complementary analyses. Characterization and documentation of the materials of the church murals support art historical studies and eventually conservation intervention plans.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figural Paintings On the Lower Wall In The Northern Islementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Application of a portable XRF analyzer to investigate the medieval wall paintings of Yemrehanna Krestos Church, Ethiopia

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Among the commercial apparatus currently available, there are some specifically developed for the local investigation of works of art [88]. By incorporation of additional degrees of freedom of the measuring head, the analysis of Antique manuscripts [89,90] and bronzes [91,92], Medieval paintings [93], Chinese porcelain [94], and Baroque-era drawings [95] has become possible.…”

Section: _####_ Page 6 Of 51mentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-Invasive and Non-Destructive Examination of Artistic Pigments, Paints, and Paintings by Means of X-Ray Methods

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent studies are concisely reviewed, in which X-ray beams of (sub)micrometre to millimetre dimensions have been used for non-destructive analysis and characterization of pigments, minute paint samples, and/or entire paintings from the seventeenth to the early twentieth century painters. The overview presented encompasses the use of laboratory and synchrotron radiation-based instrumentation and deals with the use of several variants of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) as a method of elemental analysis and imaging, as well as with the combined use of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Microscopic XRF is a variant of the method that is well suited to visualize the elemental distribution of key elements, mostly metals, present in paint multi-layers, on the length scale from 1 to 100 μm inside micro-samples taken from paintings. In the context of the characterization of artists' pigments subjected to natural degradation, the use of methods limited to elemental analysis or imaging usually is not sufficient to elucidate the chemical transformations that have taken place. However, at synchrotron facilities, combinations of μ-XRF with related methods such as μ-XAS and μ-XRD have proven themselves to be very suitable for such studies. Their use is often combined with microscopic Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy and/or Raman microscopy since these methods deliver complementary information of high molecular specificity at more or less the same length scale as the X-ray microprobe techniques. Since microscopic investigation of a relatively limited number of minute paint samples, taken from a given work of art, may not yield representative information about the entire artefact, several methods for macroscopic, non-invasive imaging have recently been developed. Those based on XRF scanning and full-field hyperspectral imaging appear very promising; some recent published results are discussed.

show abstract

“…In the last decade, PXRF analysis, also combined with other analytical techniques, has been representing one of the most powerful tool for the study of archeological objects and of a variety of museum materials, such as ceramics, paintings, and sculptures . The increasing interest in PXRF technique is connected with the several advantages that this nondestructive analysis can provide.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nondestructive analyses of carbonate rocks: applications and potentiality for museum materials

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The preciousness of historical artifacts leads to the performance of nondestructive and/or microdestructive analyses, especially when the archeological finds are stored in museums. The PXRF spectrometry represents a powerful technique for the chemometric study of the materials, in alternative to the more usual destructive X-ray-based methods. A large set of limestones belonging to several formations cropping out in the Hyblean area (south-eastern Sicily, Italy) was analyzed by means of a PXRF instrument. The main goal was to test the PXRF potentiality for the discrimination of rocks with similar features and to create a chemical database of carbonate rocks, which were commonly used in the past in the manufacturing of sculptures and stone artifacts. Fluorescence data were processed by means of multivariate statistical analysis. In particular, principal components analysis and linear discriminant analysis were applied. The results allowed us to classify the samples belonging to different formations and to distinguish different rock typologies within each formation.Finally, the investigation showed that the analytical PXRF data can be suitable for a substantial characterization of stone materials and this could be extended to museum materials belonging to cultural heritage.

show abstract

Mobile Micro-X-ray Fluorescence Analysis (XRF) on Medieval Paintings

Cited by 8 publications

References 12 publications

Application of a portable XRF analyzer to investigate the medieval wall paintings of Yemrehanna Krestos Church, Ethiopia

Application of a portable XRF analyzer to investigate the medieval wall paintings of Yemrehanna Krestos Church, Ethiopia

Non-Invasive and Non-Destructive Examination of Artistic Pigments, Paints, and Paintings by Means of X-Ray Methods

Nondestructive analyses of carbonate rocks: applications and potentiality for museum materials

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About