The Vittoria Alata from Brescia: a combined neutron techniques and SEM-EDS approach to the study of the alloy of a bronze Roman statue

Cantini, Francesco; Scherillo, A.; Fedrigo, Anna; Galeotti, Monica; Cagnini, Andrea; Porcinai, Simone; Patera, Anna; Morandini, Francesca; Grazzi, Francesco

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104112

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Photos of the samples are provided in Figure 2. The samples were subjected to alloy composition testing and a metallographic analysis [9][10][11]. The sample is the fourth from the left in the first row of the photo (see Figure 2c).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on the Bronze Weapons Excavated from Xichuan, China

Zhao,

Liu,

Chen

et al. 2024

Metals

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The collection of twelve bronze artifacts discovered in Xichuan provides invaluable historical insights into the Warring States period (476 BC to 221 BC) of ancient China. To investigate their fabrication techniques and current state of preservation, a comprehensive analysis was conducted using a metallographic microscope, a scanning electron microscope, and an electron spectrometer to examine the microstructure and elemental composition of the artifacts. The findings revealed that the copper content in these bronze artifacts varied between 41.82% and 87.95%, the tin content ranged from 6.79% to 46.88%, and the lead content was less than 28.96%. The microstructure exhibited an α-solid-solution dendritic-crystal-segregation structure, with a substantial amount of (α + δ) eutectic distributed in an island-like pattern. Lead was dispersed unevenly, appearing as small granules and large ellipsoids. The composition of these weapons aligned with their intended use, adhering to the manufacturing standards of traditional Chinese bronzes. However, their state of preservation was suboptimal, necessitating immediate protective measures. This study contributes physical evidence to the research on early Chinese bronze production and offers scientific guidance for the conservation and restoration of these bronze artifacts.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on the Bronze Weapons Excavated from Xichuan, China

Zhao,

Liu,

Chen

et al. 2024

Metals

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“…Therefore, lead is present in isolated spheroidal accumulations inhomogeneously distributed within the cast metal. Furthermore, its inhomogeneity may also depend on the preparation of the alloy in the crucible (Cantini, et al, 2023;Oudbashi, et al, 2020;Hughes, et al, 1982). For this reason, the various portions of the statue were compared, mainly considering the differences in tin concentration, to later evaluate the differences in lead content.…”

Section: Alloy Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological and microstructural characterization of an ancient Chola bronze statuette by neutron-based non-invasive techniques

Cantini,

Creange,

et al. 2024

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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The evolution of metallurgy is a fundamental aspect related to the knowledge of the technological level of ancient civilizations, for which the information was mostly part of an oral tradition. The ancient, preserved artefacts are the only keepers of this long gone knowledge. Most advanced non-invasive techniques provide us the key to access it. Neutron techniques are nowadays the only available approach for revealing, non-destructively and with good spatial resolution, the morphological and micro-structural properties within the whole volume of densely composed artefacts such as bronze statues. Application of neutron methods allows us to learn about ancient artefacts manufacturing methods and to study at a very detailed level the current conservation status in their different parts. As part of a research project dedicated to the study of ancient Asian bronzes led by the Rijksmuseum Metal Conservation Department, four statues from the Rijksmuseum Asian collection were analysed using non-invasive neutron techniques. In this work, we present the investigation of a South Indian bronze statuette depicting Shiva in the form of Chandrasekhara (AK-MAK-1291, c. 1000-1200 A.D.) by means of white beam tomography, energy selective neutron imaging (performed on CONRAD-2 at HZB, DE, and on FISH at TU-Delft, NL) and neutron diffraction (on ENGIN-X at ISIS, UK). The application of neutron imaging revealed the inner structure of the statue and allowed us to investigate the conservation state and potential cracking on the surface and in the bulk, to understand the interconnection of the different sections of the statue and to obtain clues about the manufacturing processes. These morphological and microstructural results were employed to guide neutron diffraction analyses that allowed us to precisely characterize compositional differences, the presence of dendrites and columnar growth peak structures related to casting. This work is a complete non-invasive analytical investigation on an archaeological bronze artefact, providing outstanding results: from a quantitative analysis of the composition and microstructure to an in-depth morphological analysis capable of unveiling details on the ancient casting methods of the statue.

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