The Louvre Crucifix by Giotto – Unveiling the original decoration by 2D-XRF, X-ray radiography, Emissiography and SEM-EDX analysis

Eveno, Myriam; Ravaud, Élisabeth; Calligaro, Thomas; Pichon, Laurent; Laval, Éric

doi:10.1186/s40494-014-0017-y

Cited by 33 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 7 publications

(7 reference statements)

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“…In the case of modern gold leaves SEM-BSE and RBS measurements further show that the Poliergold (96±9; 92±7 nm) appears slightly thinner than the Doppelgold (116±16 nm; 127±7 nm) by ca. 20-30 nm, but both of them are still within the published thickness range of 100-200 nm for modern gold leaf [21,22]. The high consistency between SEM-EDX and RBS measurements of modern gold leaf samples proves that the samples were precisely prepared, which further confirms the accuracy and reliability of the SEM-EDX observations on the medieval gold leaf samples.…”

Section: Analytical Techniques and Experimental Conditionssupporting

confidence: 70%

Does substrate colour affect the visual appearance of gilded medieval sculptures? Part II: SEM–EDX observations on gold leaf samples taken from medieval wooden sculptures

Döbeli

Lombardo

et al. 2020

Herit Sci

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In the previous paper (Part I), the colorimetry and interferometric microscopy measurements on modern gold leaf models have revealed that the visual appearance of a gilded surface, both burnished and unburnished, depends strongly on the substrate type, surface roughness and texture, but not on the colour of the substrate. In this second part, we investigate the materials compositions and technical specifications of medieval gold leaf through combining literature sources and materials analysis such as scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM–EDX) on samples taken from gilded wooden sculptures. Our study shows that the late medieval gold leaf has a high purity of about 23.7 carat and has an average thickness of 160 nm (with a peak value of 138 nm), purer and thicker than the modern gold leaves studies in Part I. Supportive Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) measurements on gilded models confirms the accuracy and reliability of the SEM–EDX observations on the medieval gold leaf samples. We additionally present observations of a rarely recorded special variant of medieval gold leaf—“fine reinforced gold leaf”. Combined with the findings from Part I, we conclude that light penetrating the medieval gold leaf and reflected from the gilding substrate could not be a significant, or even perceptible contribution to the visual appearance of the gilding. We argue that the misconception surrounding the correlation between the substrate colour and the gilded surface appearance can be attributed to the historical development of gilding and polychromy technologies.

show abstract

Section: Analytical Techniques and Experimental Conditionssupporting

confidence: 70%

Does substrate colour affect the visual appearance of gilded medieval sculptures? Part II: SEM–EDX observations on gold leaf samples taken from medieval wooden sculptures

Döbeli

Lombardo

et al. 2020

Herit Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…SEM-BSE and RBS measurements further show that the Poliergold (96±9; 92±7 nm) appears slightly thinner than the Doppelgold (116±16 nm; 127±7 nm) by ca. 20-30 nm, but both of them are still within the published thickness range of 100-200 nm for modern gold leaf [20,21]. The high consistency between SEM-EDX and RBS measurements of modern gold leaf samples proves that the samples were precisely prepared, which further con rms the accuracy and reliability of the SEM-EDX observations on the medieval gold leaf samples.…”

Section: Analytical Techniques and Experimental Conditionssupporting

confidence: 61%

Does substrate colour affect the visual appearance of gilded medieval sculptures? Part II: Study of medieval gold leaf

Wu¹,

Döbeli²,

Lombardo³

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the previous paper (Part I), the colorimetry and interferometric microscopy measurements on modern gold leaf models have revealed that the visual appearance of a gilded surface, both burnished and unburnished, depends strongly on the substrate type, surface roughness and texture, but not on the colour of the substrate. In this second part, we investigate the materials compositions and technical specifications of medieval gold leaf through combining literature sources and materials analysis such as scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) on samples taken from gilded artefacts. Our study shows that the late medieval gold leaf has a high purity of about 23.7 carat and has an average thickness of 160 nm (with a peak value of 138 nm), purer and thicker than the modern gold leaves studies in Part I. Supportive Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) measurements on gilded models confirms the accuracy and reliability of the SEM-EDX observations on the medieval gold leaf samples. We additionally present observations of a rarely recorded special variant of medieval gold leaf – “fine reinforced gold leaf”. Combined with the findings from Part I, we conclude that light penetrating the medieval gold leaf and reflected from the substrate could not be a significant, or even perceptible contribution to the visual appearance of the gilding. We argue that the misconception surrounding the correlation between the substrate colour and the gilded surface appearance can be attributed to the historical development of gilding and polychromy technologies.

show abstract

“…SEM-BSE and RBS measurements further show that the Poliergold (96±9; 92±7 nm) appears slightly thinner than the Doppelgold (116±16 nm; 127±7 nm) by ca. 20-30 nm, but both of them are still within the published thickness range of 100-200 nm for modern gold leaf [21,22]. The high consistency between SEM-EDX and RBS measurements of modern gold leaf samples proves that the samples were precisely prepared, which further con rms the accuracy and reliability of the SEM-EDX observations on the medieval gold leaf samples.…”

Section: Analytical Techniques and Experimental Conditionssupporting

confidence: 61%

Does substrate colour affect the visual appearance of gilded medieval sculptures?Part II: SEM-EDX observations on gold leaf samples taken from medieval wooden sculptures

Döbeli

Lombardo

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the previous paper (Part I), the colorimetry and interferometric microscopy measurements on modern gold leaf models have revealed that the visual appearance of a gilded surface, both burnished and unburnished, depends strongly on the substrate type, surface roughness and texture, but not on the colour of the substrate. In this second part, we investigate the materials compositions and technical specifications of medieval gold leaf through combining literature sources and materials analysis such as scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) on samples taken from gilded wooden sculptures. Our study shows that the late medieval gold leaf has a high purity of about 23.7 carat and has an average thickness of 160 nm (with a peak value of 138 nm), purer and thicker than the modern gold leaves studies in Part I. Supportive Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) measurements on gilded models confirms the accuracy and reliability of the SEM-EDX observations on the medieval gold leaf samples. We additionally present observations of a rarely recorded special variant of medieval gold leaf – “fine reinforced gold leaf”. Combined with the findings from Part I, we conclude that light penetrating the medieval gold leaf and reflected from the gilding substrate could not be a significant, or even perceptible contribution to the visual appearance of the gilding. We argue that the misconception surrounding the correlation between the substrate colour and the gilded surface appearance can be attributed to the historical development of gilding and polychromy technologies.

show abstract

The Louvre Crucifix by Giotto – Unveiling the original decoration by 2D-XRF, X-ray radiography, Emissiography and SEM-EDX analysis

Cited by 33 publications

References 7 publications

Does substrate colour affect the visual appearance of gilded medieval sculptures? Part II: SEM–EDX observations on gold leaf samples taken from medieval wooden sculptures

Does substrate colour affect the visual appearance of gilded medieval sculptures? Part II: SEM–EDX observations on gold leaf samples taken from medieval wooden sculptures

Does substrate colour affect the visual appearance of gilded medieval sculptures? Part II: Study of medieval gold leaf

Does substrate colour affect the visual appearance of gilded medieval sculptures?Part II: SEM-EDX observations on gold leaf samples taken from medieval wooden sculptures

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