Nondestructive Determination of the Age of 20th-Century Oil-Binder Ink Prints Using Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR): A Case Study with Postage Stamps from the Łódź Ghetto

Abstract

The ability to determine the production date for a painting or print would be of great benefit in the forensic detection of fakes and forgeries as well as in art history and conservation. Changes in the pigments used at different times have been invaluable in detecting incongruities that suggest fraud, but relatively little work has been published that uses the chemical changes in oil binders as they dry to determine when an ink print or an oil painting was made. Using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy and samples with known dates, we calibrate the drying of oil binders in inks and paints and cross-validate the paints with pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS). We apply the ink calibration to a case study involving the age determination of possible philatelic counterfeits from a World War II Jewish Ghetto in Occupied Poland, obtaining a date of 1946 ± 6 (1 s, n = 9) for the genuine stamps, and 1963 ± 16 (1 s, n = 19) for the various reproductions.

Toward Locard’s Exchange Principle: Recent Developments in Forensic Trace Evidence Analysis

“…Bower et al. used ATR FT-IR spectroscopy to differentiate between authentic and forged stamps by age of the stamp using oil binders …”

“…Bower et al used ATR FT-IR spectroscopy to differentiate between authentic and forged stamps by age of the stamp using oil binders. 88 Besides automotive and artistic paint, there are other types of paint that are relevant in forensic analysis. Specifically, spray paint often found in hate crimes or vandalism has been researched recently.…”

Novel nannofossils extraction methodology from paintings coupled with GC-MS for provenance determination and binder analysis

“…Therefore, we wanted to nd a way of preparation that could also suit other analyses. Binding mediums are very important for the conservation and restoration of artworks and therefore needs to be thoroughly determined (75)(76)(77). Gas chromatography coupled with ion trap mass spectrometer (GC-MS; Varian 450 GC, Varian 240 MS was used to analyse fatty acid methyl esters (FAME).…”

Novel nannofossils extraction methods from paintings, coupled with GC–MS for provenance determination and binder analysis

“…There can be interactions between some pigments and the binders that can change their conformation with ageing [47]. The restoration of a painting and its long-term conservation relies on binder identification [48][49][50]. Even with the constant improvement of resolution and sensitivity of non-destructive methods [47], they are often inconclusive on the specific type of binder used due to the complexity of the mixtures [51][52][53].…”