Alejandro Martin Sanchez
University of Extremadura, Spain
Title: Spectrometric characterization techniques applied to artworks belonging to the historic and cultural heritage
Biography
Biography: Alejandro Martin Sanchez
Abstract
The development and application of the spectrometric techniques to the cultural heritage provides an increasingly knowledge of human behavior. X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) among others have become very useful for the application to the characterization of pigments used in artworks, such as paintings, frescos, rupestrian pictures, sculptures, vellum inks, etc. In this work, some results obtained by a portable XRF device, assembled in our laboratory a few years ago, are presented. This technique identifies the chemical elements forming the surface shells of a sample and is neither destructive nor aggressive i.e., samples are not damaged in the analysis procedure nor previous treatment is necessary. Characterization of pigments coming from a wide range of material such as glazed ceramic pots, rock art, modern paintings, ancient parchment and Roman rests were studied with XRF. Extremadura is a region were the Roman culture has a prevalent importance and some places are now included in the World Cultural Heritage catalogue by UNESCO. In the case of pieces coming from the recent found Roman theater of Medellin (Badajoz, Spain) and from a near noble house, results from XRD and SEM techniques were also used to clarify the materials used in the buildings and in their decoration. All the techniques used help to classify and catalogue the corresponding artworks and they have been revealed as very useful tools for archeologists and curators in their works.