MICRO AND SURFACE-ANALYSIS IN ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY - PLENARY LECTURE

A variety of instrumental analytical techniques can be applied to the physical and chemical examination of works of art and archaeology, In this paper, a few examples are discussed of the application of micro-a nalytical chemistry in this interdisciplinary field, The following sub jects from the experience of our laboratory, in collaboration with sev eral specialized institutes, were selected: Early Bronze Age ceramic c rucibles, residues and powders from Goltepe, South Central Turkey, hav e been analysed using surface analytical techniques to investigate pot ential evidence of tin smelting, The study indicates that the crucible s were used for processing of tin and gives clear evidence of a local tin industry, Roman glass from a collection of objects discovered in Q umran near the Dead Sea was used to study the corrosion of glass objec ts in a particularly stable environment over a period of nearly 2000 y ears, The corrosion of a series of glass-in-lead windows from St, Mich ael and St, Goedele's Cathedral, Brussels, was studied using electron probe microanalysis and micro X-ray fluorescence, New views can be for mulated on the corrosion mechanism, which appears to be a complex mult iphase process under the influence of atmospheric pollution, A few pre liminary results are discussed for the analysis of glass paintings, in particular carnation red glass paints.