SLIDE 2:

What is XRF and macro-XRF? (General)

(Chemical) process
Development and application
Advantages and possibilities
Limitations
Case std!" #an Gogh$s Patch of Grass
SLIDE 3: WHAT IS XRF
- emission o% characteristic secondar! (&orescent) X-ra!s
- material e'cited b! high-energ! X-ra!s
- sed %or elemental and chemical anal!sis
- conventional XRF" selection o% points o% interest on sr%ace vs( )acro-XRF" collect elemental data
o% entire pol!chrome sr%ace (p to several m)
- )acro XRF has a spatial resoltion *ith a diameter smaller than conventional XRF
- )ACR+ XRF mainl! sed
- sr%ace e'amination --, point e'aminations
SLIDE 4: GENERAL PROCESS
- high energ! X-ra! sorce radiates sample - chemical process emits secondar! (&orescent)
energ! in %orm o% light photons - caght b! detector - connected to spectrometer " measre
properties o% lights - pt in table" organisation and anal!sis o% elements
- simpli-ed.
SLIDE 5: STRUCTURE OF ATOMS
- Atom / basic nit o% matter
- ncles containts mi' o% positivel! charged protons and electricall! netral netrons
- srronded b! clod o% negativel! charged electrons
- electromagnetic %orce" b00 arond ncles in orbitals1shells
- orbitals" di2erent levels o% energ! characteristic %or orbital" sall! called 34L4) etc(
- the %rther the higher the energ! level
- atom containing e5al nmber o% protons1electrons / netral4 other*ise positive or negativel!
charged" ion(
SLIDE 6: CHEMICAL PROCESS
- material e'posed to short *avelength X-ra!s
- ioni0ation" e6ection o% one 7 electrons in inner orbitals into higher orbitals
- ma8es strctre o% atom nstable
- electrons o% higher orbitals %all into lo*er obitals to -ll the void le%t behind
- %alling o% electrons emits energ! in %orm o% light photons"
- di2erence bet*een energ!level o% initial and -nal orbital
- sample emits radiation" characteristic o% the atoms(ths elements) present
- the energ! %or each element speci-c
- caght b! detector and anal!sed b! spectrometer
SLIDE 7: READING GRAPH
- When electron %alls %rom higher to lo*er orbital - onl! limited *a!s"
L- 3 / 3 alpha ---- ) - 3 / 3 9eta ---- )-L / L alpha etc(
- Wavelength o% radiation calclated *ith a %ormla %rom :lanc8s La*
SLIDE 8: GRAPH
- Radiation can either be anal!sed b!"
- ;nerg! dispersive spectrometric anal!sis (;D<)" <orting b! energ!levels o% photons
- Wavelength dispersive spectrometric anal!sis (WD<)" separating *avelengths o% radiation( Can
not prodce broad spectrm o% *avelengths or energies simltaneosl!" conts onl! single
*avelength at time(
- once sorted" intensit! o% each characteristic radiation / related to amont o% each element in
sample (mosele!s la*)
- =mages sho* spectral lines obtained in WD<(
SLIDE 9: DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION
- )acro- XRF described in painting in >??@s4 bt not applied till a%ter A@@B" #an Gogh <td!
- Discover! o% RCntgen or X-ra! in >B?D b! Wilhelm RCntgen
- =n >?>E - Fenr! )osele! - the speci-c relationship bet*een the *avelength o% a characteristic X-
ra! photon and the atomic nmber o% the e'cited element(
- XR% started *ith sampling - )acro XRF - portable and handheld XRF
-)acro- XRF o% a painting" scanning the sr%ace *ith %ocsed or collimated (linear) X-ra! beam and
anal!sis o% emitted secondar! radiation(
- #ertical position bt also hori0ontal
- ;lements present at and belo* sr%ace anal!sed
- ;lemental distribtion images can be constrcted b! elemental mapping o% collected data
AF9;;LD=GG =G ::H
Sli! "#: MACRO XRF $%&'!lli()
- ;'ample" 9r8er )I Jetstream" First commerciall! available )acro-XRF scanner (A@>E)
- 9r8er also introdction o% Fandheld XRF"
- 9r8er" prodces anal!tical technolog!
Sli! "": P$*'+,l! XRF
- br8er Hracer
Sli! "-: ADVANTAGES AND POSSI.ILITIES
- no other techni5e can identi%! so man! di2erent elements
- eKcient and non-destrctive
- in sit
- element speci-c" sr%ace la!ers don$t redce visibilit! o% lo*er la!ers" distribtion o% minor and
ma6or components visali0ed
- can reveal hidden sbla!ers" modi-cations and restorations
- insight into creative process o% artist and conservation histor!
- can be presented in nderstandable *a! to non-scientists
- 5ic8 development o% this techni5e- still going" 9r8er combination XRF1XRD - identi%! elements
7 narro* the possible pigment and detect medim phase
XRD" in%o on cr!stalline componds - so can give more in%ormation on the speci-c pigmentL as
these are either cr!stalline or non-cr!stalline (amorphos) =t can not give in%o on amorphos
componds (glass4 plastics4 -bers4 and d!est2s)
SLIDE "3: LIMITATIONS
- no direct reslt li8e an image *ith =RR( Reslts have to be anal!sed or processed to constrct
elemental distribtional images" elemental mapping
- intermediate scientist necessar!" misnderstandings
- reslts aren$t nambigos" leaves research *ith ne* 5estions (see #an Gogh)
- some claim that XRF $!& case damage in painting ()antler and 3li8ovits)
- /$0%l!0!('+*1
Sli! "4: REPORTS ON XRF RESEARCH
- )acro- XRF 5ite ne*" not that mch e'tensive reports on sage !et
Rembrandt van Ri6n - +ld man in militar! costme (>IE@-E>)
Govert Flinc8 - :ortrait o% Dirc8 Jacobs0( Lee* (>IEI)
Caravaggio - <t( Francis in meditation (>I@M->@)
#incent van Gogh - :atch o% Grass (>BBN)
Sli! "5: CASE STUD2
- sho*s *hat the complementar! techni5e can do
- #an Gogh 8no*n %or his overpaintings to rec!cle canvas
the painting had been researched be%ore4 bt mainl! *ith XRR and =RR(
- *hich have their limitations"
>( the absorbed X-ra! absorption is a smmation o% all element-speci-c absorbancies --,
contribtion to the overall image contrast de to *ea8l! absorbed elements *ill o%ten be obscred
b! heavier elements that are present in higher concentrations
A( a canvas is o%ten primed *ith a la!er o% lead *hite *hich raises the overall bac8grond o% the
absorption image derived %rom the paintla!ers
E( the pol!chromatic natre o% the '-ra! redces the contrast(
--, the! onl! give a %ragmented vie* o% sbstrctres and can limit the anal!sis o% hidden
compositions
Sli! "6: XRF3XRR3IRR
- earlier research *ith XRR and =RR revealed a head vagel!4 bt not enogh to identi%! her
- XRF *as able becase o% its element speci-cit! - distribtion o% both minor and ma6or
components are made visible
Sli! "7: PICTURES OF SCANNING
Sli! "8: DETAILS OF PROCESS
- pencil beam (@(D ' @(D mmA) *ith energ! o% EB(D 3e#
scanned the sr%ace o% >N(D ' >N(D cmA
pi'el1As --, proces o% A da!s
- constrction o% elemental distribtion images based on spectra
SLIDE "8: RESULTS OF ONE SCAN
SLIDE "9: ELEMENTAL MAPS OF DISTRI.UTION
a) lead b) mercr! --, vermillion c) antimon! --, naples !ello* (<3=G) d) 0inc --,
0inc *hite
SLIDE -#: OTHER XRF TECHNI4UES
- Fo*ever also other t!pes o% XRF sed" sampling and cross section micro- XRF %or %rther
anal!sis o% pigments
SLIDE -": RECONSTRUCTION AND RELATION TO THE OTHER WOR5S
- e'tended anal!sisreslts allo*ed tritonal reconstrction"
- sho*s brshstro8es4 %acial %eatres( )ercr! (#ermillion) and Antimonate (Oello*ish *hite)
- <spect presence o% ndetected pigments in the sr%ace
SLIDE --: RECONSTRUCTION
- Comparison *ith similar4 e'isting head" #an Goghs palette %airl! dar8" varios blac84 bro*n4 earth
(=ron4 )anganese)4 bone blac8 (calcim)4 carbon blac8 (carbonite)
- Combination *as %ond in Head of a Woman (Nb) pXRF anal!sis as *ell as in the hidden la!ers o%
the cross section *ith P-XRF anal!sis -,
- reconstrction does not inclde all color components
- does not sho* the spatial illsion or rral atmosphere that #an Gogh li8ed to create(
- reconstrction / missing lin8 in comparing the hidden %ace
- comparable *ith series o% heads %rom his time in nenen (bet*een +ctober >BBM1)a! >BBD)
- heads o% peasant models in dar8 settings in %armhoses in neighborhood
- meant as training %or control over %orm4 color and light
Sli! -3: LETTER
- discovered head belongs to smaller grop o% stdies that he gave to his brother Hheo in :aris"
letter"
- Q<ome o% the heads = promised !o are -nished4 bt the! are not 5ite dr! !et4 Genen4 mid-
)arch >BBDL = shold li8e to hear *hether those rolled-p things arrived sa%el!4 April -rst4 >BBD)(
- A%ter A >1A !ears4 #incent 6oined Hheo in :aris --,*oman$s head old%ashioned?
- 9ad -nancial sitation --, e'planation o% presence o% a color%l :arisian st!le &oral painting on
top o% a sobre head o% a provincial dtch *oman(
RS;<H=+G<"
Hhe research ho*ever also raised 5estions abot the origin o% chemical elements( Hhe plasible
sorce o% Antimon! *as -rst sbscribed to the pigment Gaples Oello* (Lead Antimonate)
(:bA<bA+N) as plasible sorce( ;speciall! since #an Gogh$s %re5ent se o% this pigment in his
Dtch !ears( Fo*ever4 XRF anal!sis di ($' &6$7 +(1 /$**!l+'i$( ,!'7!!( A('i0$(1 +(
'6! l!+ 8$9( i( '6! %+i('i(): Hhe! *ere not %ond together *hich p00led scientists(