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A non invasive method to detect stratigraphy, thicknesses and pigment concentration of pictorial multilayers based on EDXRF and vis-RS: in situ applications

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Abstract

Energy dispersive XRF analysis (EDXRF) in association with visible reflectance spectroscopy (vis-RS), both achieved by portable instruments, can be successfully applied, in a wide range of cases, to investigate wood or canvas paintings in order to obtain some stratigraphic information with non-invasive techniques. The specific aim of this work is to use them as quantitative tools: EDXRF to reconstruct the thicknesses of the detected layers, vis-RS to report pigment concentration in the uppermost layer. The method has been tested in the laboratory on paint layers with different composition of about 50 multilayers and more than 100 single layers [12]. We present here some in situ analyses of famous paintings by Andrea Mantegna and Giovanni Bellini, compared with stratigraphic optical microscopy observations on cross sections. Advantages and limits are pointed out.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto di Fisica Generale Applicata, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 16, 20133, Milano, Italy

    L. Bonizzoni

  2. Dipartimento di analisi scientifiche, Open Care, via Piranesi 10, 20123, Milano, Italy

    S. Caglio & G. Poldi

  3. CNR-INFM, Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, via R. Cozzi 53, 20125, Milano, Italy

    A. Galli

  4. LANIAC, Università degli Studi di Verona, via san Francesco 22, 37129, Verona, Italy

    G. Poldi

Authors
  1. L. Bonizzoni
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  2. S. Caglio
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  3. A. Galli
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  4. G. Poldi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. Galli.

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PACS

78.40.-q; 78.30.-j; 78.70.En

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Bonizzoni, L., Caglio, S., Galli, A. et al. A non invasive method to detect stratigraphy, thicknesses and pigment concentration of pictorial multilayers based on EDXRF and vis-RS: in situ applications. Appl. Phys. A 92, 203–210 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-008-4482-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-008-4482-6

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