R. Klockenkamper et al., Analysis of pigments and inks on oil paintings and historical manuscripts using total reflection x-ray fluorescence spectrometry, X-RAY SPECT, 29(1), 2000, pp. 119-129
Old oil paintings and illuminated historical manuscripts are valuable objec
ts of cultural heritage. Pigments and inks once used for these artefacts to
day allow insights of art historical or archaeological relevance. For their
identification, a number of non-destructive spectroanalytical methods can
be applied. This paper first gives a historical review and describes fundam
entals of optical and x-ray fluorescence spectrometry including instrumenta
tion and analytical characteristics. The variant of total reflection x-ray
fluorescence (TXRF) is shown to be a highly convenient tool for the charact
erization of inorganic pigments and inks, Since only micro-samples are need
ed, a very gentle sampling technique can be applied. It consists of rubbing
a dry cotton-wool bud (Q-tip) over the painted surface without causing any
visible damage. Only a minute amount of a few micrograms is removed from t
he object, transferred to a glass carrier and analyzed by TXRF, Some remark
able examples of TXRF analysis of old paintings and illuminated manuscripts
are given. Rather than emphasizing the analytical details, the archaeometr
ic potential of the method is illustrated. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley &
Sons, Ltd.