NDLI: Neutron activation autoradiography and scanning macro-XRF of Rembrandt van Rijn’s Susanna and the Elders (Gemäldegalerie Berlin): a comparison of two methods for imaging of historical paintings with elemental contrast

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Alfeld, Matthias Laurenze Landsberg, Claudia Denker, Andrea Janssens, Koen ble, Petria
Copyright Year	2015
Abstract	Imaging methods with elemental contrast are of great value for the investigation of historical paintings, as they allow for study of sub-surface layers that provide insight into a painting’s creation process. Two of the most important methods are neutron activation autoradiography (NAAR) and scanning macro-XRF (MA-XRF). Given the differences between these methods in the fundamental physical phenomena exploited, a theoretical comparison of their capabilities is difficult and until now a critical comparison of their use on the same painting is missing. In this paper, we present a study of Rembrandt van Rijn’s painting Susanna and the Elders from the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin employing both techniques. The painting features a considerable number of overpainted features and a wide range of pigments with different elemental tracers, including earth pigments (Mn/Fe), Azurite (Cu), lead white (Pb), vermilion (Hg) and smalt (Co, As). MA-XRF can detect all elements above Si (Z = 14), suffers from few spectral overlaps and can be performed in a few tens of hours in situ, i.e. in a museum. NAAR requires the stay of the painting at a research facility for several weeks, and inter-element interferences can be difficult to resolve. Also, only a limited number of elements contribute to the acquired autoradiographs, most notably Mn, Cu, As, Co, Hg and P. However, NAAR provides a higher lateral resolution and is less hindered by absorption in covering layers, which makes it the only method capable of visualizing P in lower paint layers.
Starting Page	795
Ending Page	805
Page Count	11
File Format	PDF
ISSN	09478396
Journal	Applied Physics A
Volume Number	119
Issue Number	3
e-ISSN	14320630
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publisher Date	2015-04-14
Publisher Place	Berlin, Heidelberg
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Condensed Matter Physics Optical and Electronic Materials Nanotechnology Characterization and Evaluation of Materials Surfaces and Interfaces, Thin Films Operating Procedures, Materials Treatment
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Chemistry Materials Science

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