Transmission and Reflection Mode Macroscopic X-ray Powder Diffraction Imaging for the Noninvasive Visualization of Paint Degradation in Still Life Paintings by Jan Davidsz. de Heem

Vanmeert, Frederik; Keyser, Nouchka De; Loon, Annelies van; Klaassen, Lizet; Noble, Petria; Janssens, Koen

doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.9b00328

Cited by 35 publications

(51 citation statements)

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“…Macroscopic X-ray powder diffraction imaging allows to identify, localise and quantify crystalline compounds in a complex paint matrix. Scanning in reflection mode greatly increases the sensitivity for (thin) surface layers [20]. The X-ray beam impinges upon the painting under a small angle (10°) with the painting surface, resulting in a shallow probing depth.…”

Section: Superficial Sensitivity Of Reflection Mode Ma-xrpd (Ma-rxrpd)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2, 4). Palmierite has previously been identified as an alteration product in paint fragments from seventeenth-century Dutch paintings by Johannes Vermeer, Jacob Jordaens and Rembrandt, and the authors have also identified it in paintings by Jan Steen, Martinus Nellius and Jan Davidsz de Heem [20,[29][30][31][32][33]. Anglesite has previously been found on an ancient bronze inkwell and in paintings by Van Gogh and Memling [34][35][36].…”

Section: Alteration Products In Girl With a Pearl Earringmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4). Gypsum has often been encountered before as a degradation product in black crusts found on historical buildings and monuments [41,42] as well as an alteration product in oil paintings [20]. Gypsum can also formed as minor by-product in the manufacturing process of lake pigments on a combined chalk alum substrate [43].…”

Section: Alteration Products In Girl With a Pearl Earringmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, MA-XRPD has been used to discriminate between pigments applied on the recto or verso side of an illuminated manuscript by considering the small angular diffraction shift [18]. Finally, MA-XRPD has also been used in reflection mode, which is more suitable for superficial analysis, to demonstrate its potential for detecting crystalline compounds present at or close to the surface of a small mock-up painting [19] and to visualise degradation products at the paint surface of several flower still life paintings [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Imaging secondary reaction products at the surface of Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring by means of macroscopic X-ray powder diffraction scanning

et al. 2019

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The use of non-invasive macroscopic imaging techniques is becoming more prevalent in the field of cultural heritage, especially to avoid invasive procedures that damage valuable artworks. For this purpose, an X-ray powder diffraction scanner (MA-XRPD) capable of visualising crystalline compounds in a highly specific manner was recently developed. Many inorganic pigments present in paintings fall into this category of materials. In this study, the 17th century oil painting Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665) by Johannes Vermeer was analysed with a combination of transmission and reflection mode MA-XRPD. By employing this scanner in reflection mode, the relative sensitivity for compounds that are present at the paint surface could be increased, establishing it as a highly relevant technique for investigating the degradation processes that are ongoing at paint surfaces. Many of the original pigments employed by Vermeer could be identified, along with four secondary alteration products: gypsum (CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O), anglesite (PbSO 4 ), palmierite (K 2 Pb(SO 4 ) 2 ) and weddellite (CaC 2 O 4 ·2H 2 O). The formation of gypsum was linked to the presence of chalk in the upper glaze layer while the formation of palmierite and weddellite is driven by the presence of lake pigments (and their substrates). In this manner, MA-XRPD can also be used to pinpoint locations relevant for sampling and synchrotron µ-XRPD analysis, which provides information on the microscopic make-up of the paint. A paint cross-section taken from an area rich in palmierite was analysed with synchrotron µ-XRPD, which confirmed the presence of this secondary compound at the interface of the upper paint layer with the ground layer as well as the presence of anglesite in the ground layer. The capacity of MA-XRPD to identify and chart secondary alteration products in a non-invasive manner has only very recently been demonstrated and makes it a highly relevant technique for the assessment of the chemical condition of works of art.

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Section: Superficial Sensitivity Of Reflection Mode Ma-xrpd (Ma-rxrpd)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Alteration Products In Girl With a Pearl Earringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Alteration Products In Girl With a Pearl Earringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Imaging secondary reaction products at the surface of Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring by means of macroscopic X-ray powder diffraction scanning

et al. 2019

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“…In several multicolored flower piece paintings by the 17th century painter Jan Davidz. de Heem, the formation of rare arsenate minerals such as mimetite (Pb 5 (AsO 4 ) 3 Cl) and schultenite (PbHAsO 4 ) was observed, co-localized with sulfate salts such as palmierite (K 2 Pb(SO 4 ) 2 ), syngenite (K 2 Ca(SO 4 ) 2 •H 2 O) and gypsum (CaSO 4 •2H 2 O) [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined Micro- and Macro scale X-ray powder diffraction mapping of degraded Orpiment paint in a 17th century still life painting by Martinus Nellius

et al. 2019

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The spontaneous chemical alteration of artists' pigment materials may be caused by several degradation processes. Some of these are well known while others are still in need of more detailed investigation and documentation. These changes often become apparent as color modifications, either caused by a change in the oxidation state in the original material or the formation of degradation products or salts, via simple or more complex, multistep reactions. Arsenic-based pigments such as orpiment (As 2 S 3) or realgar (α-As 4 S 4) are prone to such alterations and are often described as easily oxidizing upon exposure to light. Macroscopic X-ray powder diffraction (MA-XRPD) imaging on a sub area of a still life painting by the 17th century Dutch painter Martinus Nellius was employed in combination with microscopic (μ-) XRPD imaging of a paint cross section taken in the area imaged by MA-XRPD. In this way, the in situ formation of secondary metal arsenate and sulfate species and their migration through the paint layer stack they originate from could be visualized. In the areas originally painted with orpiment, it could be shown that several secondary minerals such as schultenite (PbHAsO 4), mimetite (Pb 5 (AsO 4) 3 Cl), palmierite (K 2 Pb(SO 4) 2) and syngenite (K 2 Ca(SO 4) 2 •H 2 O) have formed. Closer inspection of the cross-sectioned paint layer stack with μ-XRPD illustrates that the arsenate minerals schultenite and mimetite have precipitated at the interface between the orpiment layer and the layer below that is rich in lead white, i.e. close to the depth of formation of the arsenate ions. The sulfate palmierite has mostly precipitated at the surface and upper layers of the painting.

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X‐ray Diffraction Mapping for Cultural Heritage Science: a Review of Experimental Configurations and Applications

González

Cotte

Vanmeert

et al. 2019

Chemistry A European J

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X-ray diffraction (XRD) mapping consists in the acquisition of XRD patterns at each pixel (or voxel) of an area (or volume). The spatial resolution ranges from the micrometer (mXRD) to the millimeter (MA-XRD)s cale, making the technique relevant for tiny samples up to large objects. Although XRD is primarily used for the identification of different materials in (complex) mixtures, additional information regarding the crystallite size, their orientation, and their indepth distribution can also be obtained. Through mapping, these different types of information can be located on the studied sample/object. Cultural heritage objects are usually highly heterogeneous, and contain both original and later (degradation, conservation) materials. Their structural characterization is required both to determine ancient manufacturing processes and to evaluate their conservation state. Togetherw ith other mapping techniques, XRD mapping is increasingly used for these purposes. Here, the authors review applicationsa sw ell as the various configurations for XRD mapping (synchrotron/laboratory X-ray source, poly-/monochromatic beam,micro/macro beam, 2D/3D, transmission/reflectionm ode). On-going hardware and software developments will further establish the technique as ak ey tool in heritage science.[a] Dr.

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Transmission and Reflection Mode Macroscopic X-ray Powder Diffraction Imaging for the Noninvasive Visualization of Paint Degradation in Still Life Paintings by Jan Davidsz. de Heem

Cited by 35 publications

References 50 publications

Imaging secondary reaction products at the surface of Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring by means of macroscopic X-ray powder diffraction scanning

Imaging secondary reaction products at the surface of Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring by means of macroscopic X-ray powder diffraction scanning

Combined Micro- and Macro scale X-ray powder diffraction mapping of degraded Orpiment paint in a 17th century still life painting by Martinus Nellius

X‐ray Diffraction Mapping for Cultural Heritage Science: a Review of Experimental Configurations and Applications

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