Publication
Title
A mobile instrument for in situ scanning macro-XRF investigation of historical paintings
Author
Abstract
Scanning macro-X-ray fluorescence analysis (MA-XRF) is rapidly being established as a technique for the investigation of historical paintings. The elemental distribution images acquired by this method allow for the visualization of hidden paint layers and thus provide insight into the artist's creative process and the painting's conservation history. Due to the lack of a dedicated, commercially available instrument the application of the technique was limited to a few groups that constructed their own instruments. We present the first commercially available XRF scanner for paintings, consisting of an X-ray tube mounted with a Silicon-Drift (SD) detector on a motorized stage to be moved in front of a painting. The scanner is capable of imaging the distribution of the main constituents of surface and sub-surface paint layers in an area of 80 by 60 square centimeters with dwell times below 10 ms and a lateral resolution below 100 mu m. The scanner features for a broad range of elements between Ti (Z = 22) and Mo (Z = 42) a count rate of more than 1000 counts per second (cps)?mass percent and detection limits of 100 ppm for measurements of 1 s duration. Next to a presentation of spectrometric figures of merit, the value of the technique is illustrated through a case study of a painting by Rembrandt's student Govert Flinck (1615-1660).
Language
English
Source (journal)
Journal of analytical atomic spectrometry. - London
Publication
London : 2013
ISSN
0267-9477
DOI
10.1039/C3JA30341A
Volume/pages
28 :5 (2013) , p. 760-767
ISI
000317674200019
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Structure analysis of hard and soft condensed matter using synchrotron radiation (ESRF-DUBBLE).
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 07.06.2013
Last edited 04.03.2024
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