scholarly journals Macroscopic x-ray powder diffraction imaging reveals Vermeer’s discriminating use of lead white pigments in Girl with a Pearl Earring

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. eaax1975 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. De Meyer ◽  
F. Vanmeert ◽  
R. Vertongen ◽  
A. Van Loon ◽  
V. Gonzalez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Powder Diffraction ◽  
Lead White ◽  
White Pigment ◽  
Microscopic Scale ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Oil Paintings ◽  
Johannes Vermeer ◽  
Diffraction Imaging ◽  
The 19Th Century

Until the 19th century, lead white was the most important white pigment used in oil paintings. Lead white is typically composed of two crystalline lead carbonates: hydrocerussite [2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2] and cerussite (PbCO3). Depending on the ratio between hydrocerussite and cerussite, lead white can be classified into different subtypes, each with different optical properties. Current methods to investigate and differentiate between lead white subtypes involve invasive sampling on a microscopic scale, introducing problems of paint damage and representativeness. In this study, a 17th century painting Girl with a Pearl Earring (by Johannes Vermeer, c. 1665, collection of the Mauritshuis, NL) was analyzed with a recently developed mobile and noninvasive macroscopic x-ray powder diffraction (MA-XRPD) scanner within the project Girl in the Spotlight. Four different subtypes of lead white were identified using XRPD imaging at the macroscopic and microscopic scale, implying that Vermeer was highly discriminatory in his use of lead white.

SEM Backscattered-Electron Images of Paint Cross Sections as Information Source for the Presence of the Lead White Pigment and Lead-Related Degradation and Migration Phenomena in Oil Paintings

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 696-701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrien Keune ◽  
Annelies van Loon ◽  
Jaap J. Boon
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sections ◽  
Layer Structure ◽  
Information Source ◽  
Particle Morphology ◽  
Paint System ◽  
Lead White ◽  
White Pigment ◽  
Oil Paintings ◽  
Backscattered Electron ◽  
And Migration

AbstractScanning electron microscopy backscattered-electron images of paint cross sections show the compositional contrast within the paint system. They not only give valuable information about the pigment composition and layer structure but also about the aging processes in the paint. This article focuses on the reading of backscatter images of lead white-containing samples from traditional oil paintings (17th–19th centuries). In contrast to modern lead white, traditional stack process lead white is characterized by a wide particle size distribution. Changes in particle morphology and distribution are indications of chemical/physical reactivity in the paint. Lead white can be affected by free fatty acids to form lead soaps. The dissolution of lead white can be recognized in the backscatter image by gray (less scattering) peripheries around particles and gray amorphous areas as opposed to the well-defined, highly scattering intact lead white particles. The small particles react away first, while the larger particles/lumps can still be visible. Formed lead soaps appear to migrate or diffuse through the semipermeable paint system. Lead-rich bands around particles, at layer interfaces and in the paint medium, are indications of transport. The presence of lead-containing crystals at the paint surface or inside aggregates furthermore point to the migration and mineralization of lead soaps.

scholarly journals Microchemical analysis of Leonardo da Vinci’s lead white paints reveals knowledge and control over pigment scattering properties

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Gonzalez ◽  
Selwin Hageraats ◽  
Gilles Wallez ◽  
Myriam Eveno ◽  
Elisabeth Ravaud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Da Vinci ◽  
Leonardo Da Vinci ◽  
Lead White ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
White Pigment ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Microchemical Analysis ◽  
Precise Knowledge ◽  
And Control

AbstractLeonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) is a key artistic and scientific figure of the Renaissance. He is renowned for his science of art, taking advantage of his acute observations of nature to achieve striking pictorial results. This study describes the analysis of an exceptional sample from one of Leonardo’s final masterpieces: The Virgin and Child with St. Anne (Musée du Louvre, Paris, France). The sample was analyzed at the microscale by synchrotron-based hyperspectral photoluminescence imaging and high-angular X-ray diffraction. The results demonstrate Leonardo’s use of two subtypes of lead white pigment, thus revealing how he must have possessed a precise knowledge of his materials; carefully selecting them according to the aesthetical results he aimed at achieving in each painting. This work provides insights on how Leonardo obtained these grades of pigment and proposes new clues regarding the optical and/or working properties he may have tried to achieve.

scholarly journals The growth of Mg2TiO4 single crystals using a four-mirror furnace

2011 ◽  
Vol 76 (11) ◽  
pp. 1561-1566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Golubovic ◽  
Marko Radovic
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Single Crystal ◽  
Diffraction Analysis ◽  
Single Crystals ◽  
Powder Diffraction ◽  
Spectroscopic Ellipsometry ◽  
Lattice Parameter ◽  
Published Data ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Float Zone

A single crystal of Mg2TiO4 was grown by the travelling solvent float zone (TSFZ) method. The lattice parameter a = 0.8444(8) nm was determined by X-ray powder diffraction analysis. The optical properties of the Mg2TiO4 single crystals were studied using spectroscopic ellipsometry. The obtained results are discussed and compared with published data.

Full-field energy-dispersive powder diffraction imaging using laboratory X-rays

2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 269-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher K. Egan ◽  
Simon D. M. Jacques ◽  
Matthew D. Wilson ◽  
Matthew C. Veale ◽  
Paul Seller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Powder Diffraction ◽  
Texture Mapping ◽  
Friction Stir Weld ◽  
Field Energy ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Full Field ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Friction Stir ◽  
Diffraction Imaging ◽  
Diffraction Patterns

A laboratory instrument with the ability to spatially resolve energy-dispersed X-ray powder diffraction patterns taken in a single snapshot has been developed. The experimental arrangement is based on a pinhole camera coupled with a pixelated spectral X-ray detector. Collimation of the diffracted beam is defined by the area of the footprint of a detector pixel and the diameter of the pinhole aperture. Each pixel in the image, therefore, contains an energy-dispersed powder diffraction pattern. This new X-ray imaging technique enables spatial mapping of crystallinity, crystalline texture or crystalline phases from within a sample. Validation of the method has been carried out with a back-to-back comparison with crystalline texture mapping local to a friction stir weld in an aluminium alloy taken using synchrotron radiation.

SYNTHESIS OF CdTe NANOPARTICLE BY γ-IRRADIATION

2002 ◽  
Vol 01 (05n06) ◽  
pp. 581-585
Author(s):  
SONG JA JO ◽  
YOUNG SOO KANG
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Transmission Electron Microscopy ◽  
Optical Properties ◽  
Powder Diffraction ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Γ Irradiation ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Pl Spectra ◽  
Cdte Nanoparticles ◽  
Transmission Electron

Semiconductor CdTe nanoparticles were synthesized by the γ-irradiation of Cd ion complex at room temperature. Cd-olate complex was reacted with aqueous NaHTe solution. The products were investigated by X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The optical properties of CdTe were investigated with UV-vis and photoluminescence (PL) spectra.

scholarly journals FAAS, FT-IR and XRD Identification of Natural and Heat Treated Opals Located in Wadla Woreda, North Wello, Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Adere Tarekegne Habte ◽  
Shiferaw Dessie Mekonnen ◽  
Adugna Nigatu Alene ◽  
Gietu Yirga Abate
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Powder Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Heat Treated ◽  
Silica Materials ◽  
Hydrous Silica ◽  
Ft Ir ◽  
Diffraction Patterns ◽  
North Wollo

Opals are naturally occurring hydrous silica materials (SiO2*nH2O), and have been largely used in jewelry and as decorative elements in artworks due to their optical properties. In this study, we present some gemological properties, a combined spectroscopic (FAAS, FTIR) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) identification of natural and heat treated opals obtained from the main deposits in North Wollo, Ethiopia. The gemological measurements, FTIR and XRD spectra for natural and heat treated samples are nearly identical, FAAS shows clear differences on their color this may be due to the concentration differences of metals. Both of these opals showed spectra and diffraction patterns typical of Opal-CT, with clearly defined patterns and main peaks in the 2θ range of cristobalite and tridymite, called microcrystalline opals.

scholarly journals Selective Dating of Paint Components: Radiocarbon Dating of Lead White Pigment

Radiocarbon ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 473-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Hendriks ◽  
Irka Hajdas ◽  
Ester S B Ferreira ◽  
Nadim C Scherrer ◽  
Stefan Zumbühl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Industrial Processes ◽  
Lead White ◽  
Step Method ◽  
Lead Carbonate ◽  
Paint Sample ◽  
White Pigment ◽  
Oil Paintings ◽  
Oil Paints ◽  
New Strategies

ABSTRACTLead white is a man-made white pigment commonly used in works of art. In this study, the possibility of radiocarbon dating lead white pigments alone and in oil paints was explored using well-dated lead white pigments and paints. Resulting14C ages on lead white pigments produced following the traditional stack process, where carbonate groups results from the incorporation of CO2originating from fermentation, matched the production years, while radiocarbon dating of lead white made using other industrial processes indicate that14C depleted CO2was used in their production. The method was applied to two case studies, where lead carbonate samples were dated in two oil paintings, one Baroque and one from the 20th century. We hereby show that the lead white pigment can be dated by14C and used as proxy for the time of creation of an artwork. Additionally, a two-step method was developed to allow14C analysis of both the lead white pigment and oil binder from the same sample. A single lead white paint sample can yield two distinct radiocarbon ages, one from the carbonate and one from the natural organic binder. This study thus proposes new strategies for14C dating of artworks.

The occurrence of an orthorhombic high-temperature form of Ca2SiO4 (bredigite) in the Scawt Hill contact-zone and as a constituent of slags (With Plates XV and XVI.)

1948 ◽  
Vol 28 (200) ◽  
pp. 255-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Tilley ◽  
H. C. G. Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Contact Zone ◽  
Powder Diffraction ◽  
Close Agreement ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Diffraction Patterns ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
High Temperature Form

Recent research on the polymorphism of calcium orthosilicate has broadened and to some extent modified the picture of the phase relations of this substance as presented in the pioneer studies of Day and Shepherd (1906) and Rankin and Wright (1915). These investigators recognized three distinct forms, α, β, and γ, related by transformation as follows: α⇄β at 1420° C. and β⇄γ, at 675° C. The high-temperature α form was described as monoclinic or triclinic and intimately twinned, the β form orthorhombic, and the low-temperature γ form as probably monoclinic. The optical properties of these α and β forms as reported are so closely similar that were it not for the twinning, regarded as diagnostic, the two forms would be distinguishable only with difficulty. This optical similarity was later found to be paralleled by a close agreement of the X-ray powder diffraction patterns of the two phases early noted by Hansen (1928) and confirmed among others by Insley (1936).

Optical Properties of CaYAlO4: Eu3+ Phosphors

2011 ◽  
Vol 222 ◽  
pp. 231-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilena Bartic ◽  
Hiroko Kominami ◽  
Yoichiro Nakanishi ◽  
Kazuhiko Hara
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Solid State ◽  
Powder Diffraction ◽  
Doping Concentration ◽  
Synthesis Temperature ◽  
Emission Peak ◽  
Solid State Method ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Main Emission Peak ◽  
State Method

CaYAlO4:Eu3+ phosphors have been synthesized by a solid state method, and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and photoluminescence (PL). Under the excitation of 147 nm, the synthesized phosphors indicated PL characteristics of the Eu3+ center with the main emission peak at a wavelength of 611.5 nm. The emission intensity depended on synthesis temperature and Eu3+ doping concentration. The highest PL intensity was found for the Ca0.97Eu0.03YAlO4 synthesized at 1400°C for 2 h.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document