Characterisation of ancient Roman wall‐painting fragments using non‐destructive <scp>IBA</scp> and <scp>MA‐XRF</scp> techniques

Vadrucci, Monia; Mazzinghi, Anna; Sorrentino, Beatrice; Falzone, Stella; Gioia, Claudia; Gioia, Patrizia; Loreti, Ersilia Maria; Chiari, M.

doi:10.1002/xrs.3178

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Although XRF only gives information on the elemental make up of the areas studied, the determination of the possible pigments present can be aided by the knowledge of their availability with time (circa 1st century B.C.E.-3rd century C.E.). In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the study of ancient Roman pigments and new information is now available [33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47]. Most of these studies, however, have been performed in the laboratory on either wall painting fragments or samples.…”

Section: Xrf and Vil Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nondestructive Analysis of Wall Paintings at Ostia Antica

et al. 2021

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Roman wall paintings at Ostia Antica were studied for the first time in situ in an integrated approach using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) depth profiling, portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and visible induced luminescence (VIL) in order to explore the materials used in their construction and gain insight into the evolution of the Roman painting technique over time. NMR revealed the signatures of covered wall paintings through details of the structure of the top painted mortar layers, and the loss of this information that can be encountered when paintings are detached from the wall for preservation purposes. XRF provided information about the pigment composition of the paintings, and VIL was used to identify Egyptian Blue. Egyptian Blue was only found in the earlier wall paintings studied dating from 1st century B.C.E. to the 1st century C.E. The pigment palette seems to become limited to iron-based pigments in the later paintings, whereas the palette of the earlier paintings appears to be more varied including mercury, lead, and copper-based pigments.

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Section: Xrf and Vil Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nondestructive Analysis of Wall Paintings at Ostia Antica

et al. 2021

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“…Finally, an ORTEC HPGe gamma-ray detector with a mechanical cooler, 23% relative efficiency, placed at 135°angle, is used for PIGE. This set-up has been recently used to analyse, amongst others, glazed ceramics [17], coins [18], wall-painting fragments [19] and wall-leather coverings, as well as trace evidences for forensics science applications. In the past, a similar although less complete set-up, using two Si(Li) detectors for PIXE and a planar Ge detector for PIGE, had been used for several important campaigns on even very precious artworks [20].…”

Section: Beamline At + 45°tmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some of these spectrometers have been successfully used for a number of cultural heritage applications, ranging from canvas, panel and mural paintings, archaeological finds, coins and metals, porcelains and other manufacts, also thanks to the numerous national and international collaborations as those with the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence and several research groups. In these collaborations, the analyses have been carried out following a multi-technique approach for a comprehensive material characterization, see, for example, [18,19,[58][59][60][61].…”

Section: Instrumentation For In Situ Cultural Heritage Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

LABEC, the INFN ion beam laboratory of nuclear techniques for environment and cultural heritage

et al. 2021

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The LABEC laboratory, the INFN ion beam laboratory of nuclear techniques for environment and cultural heritage, located in the Scientific and Technological Campus of the University of Florence in Sesto Fiorentino, started its operational activities in 2004, after INFN decided in 2001 to provide our applied nuclear physics group with a large laboratory dedicated to applications of accelerator-related analytical techniques, based on a new 3 MV Tandetron accelerator. The new accelerator greatly improved the performance of existing Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) applications (for which we were using since the 1980s an old single-ended Van de Graaff accelerator) and in addition allowed to start a novel activity of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS), in particular for 14C dating. Switching between IBA and AMS operation became very easy and fast, which allowed us high flexibility in programming the activities, mainly focused on studies of cultural heritage and atmospheric aerosol composition, but including also applications to biology, geology, material science and forensics, ion implantation, tests of radiation damage to components, detector performance tests and low-energy nuclear physics. This paper describes the facilities presently available in the LABEC laboratory, their technical features and some success stories of recent applications.

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“…The software controlling acquisition and data analysis was developed by INFN-CHNet. The instrument has been successfully employed in several heritage science applications over the years [28][29][30].…”

Section: The Infn-chnet Ma-xrf Scannermentioning

confidence: 99%

MA-XRF for the Characterisation of the Painting Materials and Technique of the Entombment of Christ by Rogier van der Weyden

Mazzinghi

Ruberto

Castelli³

et al. 2021

Applied Sciences

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At present, macro X-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF) is one of the most essential analytical methods exploited by heritage science. By providing spatial distribution elemental maps, not only does it allow for material characterisation but also to understand, or at least to have a likely idea of, the production techniques of an analysed object. INFN-CHNet, the Cultural Heritage Network of the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics, designed and developed a MA-XRF scanner aiming to be a lightweight, easy to transport piece of equipment for use in in situ measurements. In this study, the INFN-CHNet MA-XRF scanner was employed for the analysis of a painting by the Flemish artist Rogier van der Weyden. The painting belongs to the collection of the Uffizi gallery in Florence and was analysed during conservation treatments at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, one of the main conservation centres in Italy. The research aims were to characterise the materials employed by the artist and to possibly understand his painting technique. Although MA-XRF alone cannot provide a comprehensive characterisation, it nonetheless proved to be an invaluable tool for providing an initial overview or hypothesis of the painting materials and techniques used.

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Characterisation of ancient Roman wall‐painting fragments using non‐destructive IBA and MA‐XRF techniques

Cited by 16 publications

References 21 publications

Nondestructive Analysis of Wall Paintings at Ostia Antica

Nondestructive Analysis of Wall Paintings at Ostia Antica

LABEC, the INFN ion beam laboratory of nuclear techniques for environment and cultural heritage

MA-XRF for the Characterisation of the Painting Materials and Technique of the Entombment of Christ by Rogier van der Weyden

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