The blue road: Provenance study of azurite samples from historical locations through the analysis of minor and trace elements

Capriotti, S.; Medeghini, L.; Mignardi, Silvano; Petrelli, M.; Botticelli, Michela

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19099

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…This type of ground is attested in seventeenthcentury Italian paintings from different regions and artists, in one or more layers, usually in light to dark colour because of the addition of ochres, minimum or carbon black [28]. Calcium also correlates with strontium in most areas, as expected for materials containing carbonates or sulphates, where the similar atomic ratio of these two elements frequently allows chemical substitution [29].…”

Section: Overview Of Stomer's Technique and Later Interventions In Th...mentioning

confidence: 97%

“…This type of ground is attested in seventeenth-century Italian paintings from different regions and artists, in one or more layers, usually in light to dark colour because of the addition of ochres, minimum or carbon black [28]. Calcium also correlates with strontium in most areas, as expected for materials containing carbonates or sulphates, where the similar atomic ratio of these two elements frequently allows chemical substitution [29]. In the maps of lead, signals for this element are also likely to come from the ground, where it correlates with calcium (see Ca distribution in Figure S2), possibly suggesting that the canvas has been prepared with lead white and a Ca-based material like chalk, either in mixture or in different layers.…”

Section: Overview Of Stomer's Technique and Later Interventions In Th...mentioning

confidence: 98%

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Naples Yellow Revisited: Insights into Trades and Use in 17th-Century Sicily from the Macro X-ray Fluorescence Scanning of Matthias Stomer’s ‘The Mocking of Christ’

Botticelli,

Miliani,

Ravan

et al. 2024

Heritage

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In a recent non-destructive analytical campaign at Museo Civico, Castello Ursino, in Catania, Italy, several paintings in the permanent collection were investigated by MA-XRF scanning, with a special focus on Matthias Stomer’s production. On one depiction of the Mocking of Christ (ca. 1640) donated to the municipality of Catania by G.B. Finocchiaro in 1826, the analysis documented the use of Naples yellow. Sb with Pb was detected in yellow areas of the Mocking of Christ, but not in his work Tobias healing his father. This finding possibly suggested an early use of lead antimonate yellow in South Italy, although it is generally accepted that this pigment was introduced in painting in the eighteenth century. Further details on his technique and later conservation treatments are provided, as well as literary comparisons with the artistic production during the same period, in Sicily and elsewhere. A systematic study of Stomer’s works, for example examining paintings produced while he was in Naples or Rome, might determine whether this material choice depended on local availability. Overall, it would shed light on his technique, as well as on the history of Naples yellow in southern Italy and beyond, before this pigment became so popular in the eighteenth century.

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Section: Overview Of Stomer's Technique and Later Interventions In Th...mentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Overview Of Stomer's Technique and Later Interventions In Th...mentioning

confidence: 98%

Naples Yellow Revisited: Insights into Trades and Use in 17th-Century Sicily from the Macro X-ray Fluorescence Scanning of Matthias Stomer’s ‘The Mocking of Christ’

Botticelli,

Miliani,

Ravan

et al. 2024

Heritage

Self Cite

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Depth‐resolved historical painting study with minimal microsampling, illustrated with a newly discovered Botticelli workshop painting

Tapia,

Eveno,

Laval

et al. 2024

X-Ray Spectrometry

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A painting from the Botticelli workshop has been studied after its recent discovery, with an innovative and noninvasive approach combining two‐ dimensional scanning macro‐x‐ray fluorescence imaging (MA‐XRF) and a laboratory‐based depth‐resolved site‐selective confocal micro‐x‐ray fluorescence (CXRF) device. These analyses were supported by measurements on cross‐sections taken from the artwork using scanning electron microscopy coupled with an energy‐dispersive x‐ray system. The aims of this study are to confirm the painting's attribution and authentication, find characteristic markers and features, understand the artist's technique, materials used, and palette, and all of it while reducing sampling. The analyzing approach used combines imaging and site‐selective techniques while avoiding, reducing and replacing sampling without compromising the results. Chemical maps of the painting were obtained by MA‐XRF and enabled the identification of zones, colors, and chemical elements of interest alongside with a first assumption on the pigments used. Depth profiles were then performed in precise areas and colors using CXRF, allowing to evidence overlaying paint layers and obtain a more complete 3D vision of the painting. Contrasting the findings using this new methodology with the traditionally employed analysis process involving microsampling allowed us to determine the accuracy and veracity of our conclusions.

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Trace and Minor Element Analysis of Azurite Blues in Fine Arts: Possibilities and Limitations in Provenance Studies

Hradil,

Čermáková,

Hradilová

et al. 2024

Appl Spectrosc

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Azurite, a historical blue mineral pigment, has previously been described to contain certain elemental impurities. These may originate from host rocks, vein fillings, or the primary copper ore mineralization. In this study, azurites (and also green malachites) from three important Central European deposits with a potential of being exploited for pigment usage already in the Middle Ages have been studied, together with azurite from Chessy, France, with a different geological setting. Using electron probe microanalysis and, more importantly, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy for trace elemental analysis, several indicators were pinpointed as important for provenance: characteristic elemental fingerprint of the deposit, e.g., elevated lead (Pb) in combination with rare earth elements, may be combined with zinc (Zn)/arsenic (As) ratio (indicating sources of excess Zn in the primary deposit) and the overall amount of metal impurities (suggesting the source mineral of copper for azurite formation). In addition, malachites from the same deposits were found to preferentially incorporate primary ore metal elements as well as Cd, Mg, Mn, or U. Therefore, if azurite pigment contains an elevated amount of malachite as an impurity, it may significantly influence the overall elemental composition. The results obtained on geological samples were applied to two micro-samples of works of art containing azurite-rich layers originating from the 13th–14th and 16th centuries. It was shown that it is highly beneficial to focus on the overall trace elemental composition of the paint layer and not on the admixed mineral grains, as their presence, especially in minute micro-samples, is largely accidental and thus not representative. Although a higher number of samples need to be studied in the future, the newly described criteria made it possible to exclude some of the localities of the employed azurite pigment. This confirmed the key importance of trace elements analysis of mineral pigments for the provenance studies of fine arts.

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The blue road: Provenance study of azurite samples from historical locations through the analysis of minor and trace elements

Cited by 4 publications

References 26 publications

Naples Yellow Revisited: Insights into Trades and Use in 17th-Century Sicily from the Macro X-ray Fluorescence Scanning of Matthias Stomer’s ‘The Mocking of Christ’

Naples Yellow Revisited: Insights into Trades and Use in 17th-Century Sicily from the Macro X-ray Fluorescence Scanning of Matthias Stomer’s ‘The Mocking of Christ’

Depth‐resolved historical painting study with minimal microsampling, illustrated with a newly discovered Botticelli workshop painting

Trace and Minor Element Analysis of Azurite Blues in Fine Arts: Possibilities and Limitations in Provenance Studies

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