engleski

Identification of pigments and binding materials in works of art by MeV SIMS and PIXE

Two works of art, ancient and contemporary, were studied with two Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) techniques, Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry using MeV primary ions (MeV-SIMS) and Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE), in order to identify binding materials and pigments used by the artists or in the conservation process. A segment of a conserved painting, dating from the 18th – 19th century, was obtained in the framework of IAEA CRP Project F11021: “Enhancing Nuclear Analytical Techniques to Meet the Needs of Forensic Sciences”. Together with the painting sample, two mock-ups were prepared using lead white pigment mixed with one of the two binders, linseed oil and egg yolk, which are often used in traditional artworks. Samples of three different color regions taken from a contemporary work of art, “SIS 1” by Vjenceslav Richter dating from 1974, were provided from the holdings of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, Croatia. Small fragments from the mock-ups and artwork samples were cut and pressed into pure indium for measurement. MeV-SIMS spectra were collected in the positive- and negative-ion modes with 5 MeV Si4+ ion beam, while 2 MeV proton beam was used for the PIXE elemental analysis at the same sample regions. All measurements were performed at the accelerator facility of Ruđer Bošković Institute. The presence of oil-based binding materials was confirmed with MeV-SIMS in the conserved ancient painting sample, as well as in the contemporary work of Vjenceslav Richter, through the detection and identification of fatty acids, and mono- and diacylglycerols. Fatty acid lead soaps, lead oxide species, and other oxidation products were detected with MeV-SIMS in the ancient painting sample. The presence of lead pigment was confirmed with PIXE analysis, and other inorganic pigments were found through the detection of Na, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Zn, As, Rb and Sb. The presence of synthetic organic pigments was confirmed in the contemporary work of art with MeV-SIMS.

MeV-SIMS ; PIXE ; works of art ; pigments ; binders

nije evidentirano