Synchrotron-Based X-ray Spectromicroscopy Used for the Study of an Atypical Micrometric Pigment in 16th Century Paintings

详细信息    查看全文

• 作者：M. Cotte ; E. Welcomme ; V. A. Sol&eacute ; M. Salom&eacute ; M. Menu ; Ph. Walter ; J. Susini
• 刊名：Analytical Chemistry
• 出版年：2007
• 出版时间：September 15, 2007
• 年：2007
• 卷：79
• 期：18
• 页码：6988 - 6994
• 全文大小：601K
• 年卷期：v.79,no.18(September 15, 2007)
• ISSN：1520-6882

文摘

Grünewald is a famous German painter of the 16thcentury, whose celebrity is associated with his unique skillin handling colors. This article presents the analysis ofmaterials used to render a metallic aspect in the IsenheinAltarpiece and the Basel's Crucifixion. Such samplesare challenging objects for microanalysis due to bothchemical and physical complexity. Their study by synchrotron-based X-ray microscopy techniques was madepossible thanks to recent developments carried out at theID21 beam line (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, ESRF). A submicron X-ray fluorescence probe revealed the main presence of lead, sulfur, antimony, andcalcium. The fluorescence-line interferences (in particularK-lines of sulfur with M-lines of lead, and K-lines of calciumwith L-lines of antimony) were resolved with the fittingprogram, PyMCA. 2D-mapping highlighted the presenceof micrometer grains of sulfur and antimony into a leadmatrix. XANES measurements were performed at both thesulfur K-edge and the antimony L-edge to refine information from an atomic to a molecular level. Beam stabilitywas a key point in this study to selectively probe micrometer pigment grains, dispersed in the lead matrix. Theyconfirm that the grains are made of stibnite (antimonysulfide), a very atypical pigment. Chemical mapping ofsulfides is perfectly correlated with antimony mapping andprovides a clear visualization of the stibnite pigments, inaddition to their identification. Besides its artistic relevancy, this work aims at illustrating developments ofsynchrotron X-ray microprobe methods for the chemicalcharacterization and observation of complex and micrometer-scale materials.