A portable X-ray fluorescence/X-ray diffraction (XRF/XRD) system for artwork studies has been des... more A portable X-ray fluorescence/X-ray diffraction (XRF/XRD) system for artwork studies has been designed constructed and tested. It is based on Debye Scherrer XRD in reflection that takes advantage of many recent improvements in the handling of X-rays (polycapillary optics; advanced two-dimensional detection). The apparatus is based on a copper anode air cooled X-ray source, and the XRD analysis is performed on a 5-20 μm thick layer from the object surface. Energy dispersive XRF elemental analysis can be performed at the same point as XRD, giving elemental compositions that support the interpretation of XRD diagrams. XRF and XRD analyses were tested to explore the quality and the limits of the analytical technique. The XRD diagrams are comparable in quality with diagrams obtained with conventional laboratory equipment. The mineral identification of materials in artwork is routinely performed with the portable XRF-XRD system. Examples are given for ceramic glazes containing crystals and for paintings where the determination of pigments is still a challenge for nondestructive analysis. For instance, lead compounds that provide a variety of color pigments can be easily identified as well as a pigment such as lapis lazuli that is difficult to identify by XRF alone. More than 70 works of art have been studied in situ in museums, monuments, etc. In addition to ceramics and paintings, these works include bronzes, manuscripts, etc., which permit improvement in the comprehension of ancient artistic techniques.
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), May 10, 2007
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are necessary for complete identification of... more X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are necessary for complete identification of materials. Works of art and samples have to be carried to specialised laboratories for XRD analyses. In certain cases, this is uneasy or even infeasible. Fresco paintings or other artefacts with elevated security concerns cannot be moved, hence the interest of portable XRD. In the framework of the project EuArtech a portable XRF and XRD instrumentation has been developed. The instrument combines both XRF and XRD techniques in order to perform simultaneously elemental analysis and crystal structure identification. The system has a reasonable weight and requires low electrical power supply. In the present paper, the system design is shown and the first experimental results are discussed. They have been performed on paintings, glazes on ceramics and oxidized bronze. No damages have been detected on the analysed objects, even on paintings covered by varnish.
Historical paintings with important iconographical changes represent an analytical challenge. Con... more Historical paintings with important iconographical changes represent an analytical challenge. Considering the case study of a fifteenth-century French painting studied during its restoration, the efficiency of a combined noninvasive approach of two-dimensional scanning macro-X-ray fluorescence imaging (MA-XRF) and a laboratory-based depth-resolved confocal micro-X-ray fluorescence (CXRF) is discussed. Large chemical maps of several elements were obtained by MA-XRF, enabling the identification of zones of interest representing changes in the painting composition. In these areas, depth profiles were measured with CXRF, allowing to evidence overlaying paint layers. The advantages of this technique are that it can give direct information on the stratigraphy of paint layers in a nondestructive way and can reduce the sampling needed, as well as increase the locations analyzed (in our study twenty-two depth-resolved scans). These results complement information obtained by scanning electron...
In June 2016, four large atlases comprising two hundred and fifty anatomical drawings which were ... more In June 2016, four large atlases comprising two hundred and fifty anatomical drawings which were made around 1654-1660 in Leiden (Netherlands) were identified at the Bibliothèque interuniversitaire de santé. Made by the painter Marten Sagemolen (ca. 1620-1669) under the direction of the anatomist Johannes van Horne (1621-1670), they systematically describe the muscles of man. This extensive collection had been lost since the mid-18th century. The albums entered the collections of the Ecole de santé in 1796, along with the magnificent drawings by the painter Gerard de Lairesse (1641-1711) for the anatomy of Govard Bidloo (1649-1713), and they have remained in the medical library at 12, rue de l'Ecole-de-médecine, today called BIU Santé médecine, which now belongs to Université Paris Cité. Purchased as an anonymous lot accompanying Lairesse's masterpiece, the albums had not been successfully examined until 2016. The great rarity of this collection and the surprise of its iden...
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are necessary for complete identification of... more X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are necessary for complete identification of materials. Works of art and samples have to be carried to specialised laboratories for XRD analyses. In certain cases, this is uneasy or even infeasible. Fresco paintings or other artefacts with elevated security concerns cannot be moved, hence the interest of portable XRD. In the framework of the project EuArtech a portable XRF and XRD instrumentation has been developed. The instrument combines both XRF and XRD techniques in order to perform simultaneously elemental analysis and crystal structure identification. The system has a reasonable weight and requires low electrical power supply. In the present paper, the system design is shown and the first experimental results are discussed. They have been performed on paintings, glazes on ceramics and oxidized bronze. No damages have been detected on the analysed objects, even on paintings covered by varnish.
Scanning XRF is a powerful elemental imaging technique introduced at the synchrotron that has rec... more Scanning XRF is a powerful elemental imaging technique introduced at the synchrotron that has recently been transposed to laboratory. The growing interest in this technique stems from its ability to collect images reflecting pigment distribution within large areas on artworks by means of their elemental signature. In that sense, scanning XRF appears highly complementary to standard imaging techniques (Visible, UV, IR photography and X-ray radiography). The versatile XRF scanner presented here has been designed and built at the C2RMF in response to specific constraints: transportability, cost-effectiveness and ability to scan large areas within a single working day. The instrument is based on a standard X-ray generator with sub-millimetre collimated beam and a SDD-based spectrometer to collected X-ray spectra. The instrument head is scanned in front of the painting by means of motorised movements to cover an area up to 300 × 300 mm2 with a resolution of 0.5 mm (600 × 600 pixels). The 15-kg head is mounted on a stable photo stand for rapid positioning on paintworks and maintains a free side-access for safety; it can also be attached to a lighter tripod for field measurements. Alignment is achieved with a laser pointer and a micro-camera. With a scanning speed of 5 mm/s and 0.1 s/point, elemental maps are collected in 10 h, i.e. a working day. The X-ray spectra of all pixels are rapidly processed using an open source program to derive elemental maps. To illustrate the capabilities of this instrument, this contribution presents the results obtained on the Belle Ferronnière painted by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) and conserved in the Musée du Louvre, prior to its restoration at the C2RMF.
A portable X-ray fluorescence/X-ray diffraction (XRF/XRD) system for artwork studies has been des... more A portable X-ray fluorescence/X-ray diffraction (XRF/XRD) system for artwork studies has been designed constructed and tested. It is based on Debye Scherrer XRD in reflection that takes advantage of many recent improvements in the handling of X-rays (polycapillary optics; advanced two-dimensional detection). The apparatus is based on a copper anode air cooled X-ray source, and the XRD analysis is performed on a 5-20 μm thick layer from the object surface. Energy dispersive XRF elemental analysis can be performed at the same point as XRD, giving elemental compositions that support the interpretation of XRD diagrams. XRF and XRD analyses were tested to explore the quality and the limits of the analytical technique. The XRD diagrams are comparable in quality with diagrams obtained with conventional laboratory equipment. The mineral identification of materials in artwork is routinely performed with the portable XRF-XRD system. Examples are given for ceramic glazes containing crystals and for paintings where the determination of pigments is still a challenge for nondestructive analysis. For instance, lead compounds that provide a variety of color pigments can be easily identified as well as a pigment such as lapis lazuli that is difficult to identify by XRF alone. More than 70 works of art have been studied in situ in museums, monuments, etc. In addition to ceramics and paintings, these works include bronzes, manuscripts, etc., which permit improvement in the comprehension of ancient artistic techniques.
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), May 10, 2007
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are necessary for complete identification of... more X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are necessary for complete identification of materials. Works of art and samples have to be carried to specialised laboratories for XRD analyses. In certain cases, this is uneasy or even infeasible. Fresco paintings or other artefacts with elevated security concerns cannot be moved, hence the interest of portable XRD. In the framework of the project EuArtech a portable XRF and XRD instrumentation has been developed. The instrument combines both XRF and XRD techniques in order to perform simultaneously elemental analysis and crystal structure identification. The system has a reasonable weight and requires low electrical power supply. In the present paper, the system design is shown and the first experimental results are discussed. They have been performed on paintings, glazes on ceramics and oxidized bronze. No damages have been detected on the analysed objects, even on paintings covered by varnish.
Historical paintings with important iconographical changes represent an analytical challenge. Con... more Historical paintings with important iconographical changes represent an analytical challenge. Considering the case study of a fifteenth-century French painting studied during its restoration, the efficiency of a combined noninvasive approach of two-dimensional scanning macro-X-ray fluorescence imaging (MA-XRF) and a laboratory-based depth-resolved confocal micro-X-ray fluorescence (CXRF) is discussed. Large chemical maps of several elements were obtained by MA-XRF, enabling the identification of zones of interest representing changes in the painting composition. In these areas, depth profiles were measured with CXRF, allowing to evidence overlaying paint layers. The advantages of this technique are that it can give direct information on the stratigraphy of paint layers in a nondestructive way and can reduce the sampling needed, as well as increase the locations analyzed (in our study twenty-two depth-resolved scans). These results complement information obtained by scanning electron...
In June 2016, four large atlases comprising two hundred and fifty anatomical drawings which were ... more In June 2016, four large atlases comprising two hundred and fifty anatomical drawings which were made around 1654-1660 in Leiden (Netherlands) were identified at the Bibliothèque interuniversitaire de santé. Made by the painter Marten Sagemolen (ca. 1620-1669) under the direction of the anatomist Johannes van Horne (1621-1670), they systematically describe the muscles of man. This extensive collection had been lost since the mid-18th century. The albums entered the collections of the Ecole de santé in 1796, along with the magnificent drawings by the painter Gerard de Lairesse (1641-1711) for the anatomy of Govard Bidloo (1649-1713), and they have remained in the medical library at 12, rue de l'Ecole-de-médecine, today called BIU Santé médecine, which now belongs to Université Paris Cité. Purchased as an anonymous lot accompanying Lairesse's masterpiece, the albums had not been successfully examined until 2016. The great rarity of this collection and the surprise of its iden...
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are necessary for complete identification of... more X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are necessary for complete identification of materials. Works of art and samples have to be carried to specialised laboratories for XRD analyses. In certain cases, this is uneasy or even infeasible. Fresco paintings or other artefacts with elevated security concerns cannot be moved, hence the interest of portable XRD. In the framework of the project EuArtech a portable XRF and XRD instrumentation has been developed. The instrument combines both XRF and XRD techniques in order to perform simultaneously elemental analysis and crystal structure identification. The system has a reasonable weight and requires low electrical power supply. In the present paper, the system design is shown and the first experimental results are discussed. They have been performed on paintings, glazes on ceramics and oxidized bronze. No damages have been detected on the analysed objects, even on paintings covered by varnish.
Scanning XRF is a powerful elemental imaging technique introduced at the synchrotron that has rec... more Scanning XRF is a powerful elemental imaging technique introduced at the synchrotron that has recently been transposed to laboratory. The growing interest in this technique stems from its ability to collect images reflecting pigment distribution within large areas on artworks by means of their elemental signature. In that sense, scanning XRF appears highly complementary to standard imaging techniques (Visible, UV, IR photography and X-ray radiography). The versatile XRF scanner presented here has been designed and built at the C2RMF in response to specific constraints: transportability, cost-effectiveness and ability to scan large areas within a single working day. The instrument is based on a standard X-ray generator with sub-millimetre collimated beam and a SDD-based spectrometer to collected X-ray spectra. The instrument head is scanned in front of the painting by means of motorised movements to cover an area up to 300 × 300 mm2 with a resolution of 0.5 mm (600 × 600 pixels). The 15-kg head is mounted on a stable photo stand for rapid positioning on paintworks and maintains a free side-access for safety; it can also be attached to a lighter tripod for field measurements. Alignment is achieved with a laser pointer and a micro-camera. With a scanning speed of 5 mm/s and 0.1 s/point, elemental maps are collected in 10 h, i.e. a working day. The X-ray spectra of all pixels are rapidly processed using an open source program to derive elemental maps. To illustrate the capabilities of this instrument, this contribution presents the results obtained on the Belle Ferronnière painted by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) and conserved in the Musée du Louvre, prior to its restoration at the C2RMF.
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