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Raman Imaging pp 189–217Cite as

Raman Mapping in the Scientific Investigations of Works of Art

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Part of the book series: Springer Series in Optical Sciences ((SSOS,volume 168))

Abstract

Raman mapping in works of art has traditionally been performed using a motorized xy stage that moves a small artwork or a sample taken from the object in a step-by-step manner in two directions under the microscope objective. This configuration allows to obtain important information about the objects in a non-invasive manner and, in the case of samples, on the stratigraphy and the composition of all layers. Three case studies are presented to discuss the capabilities and limitations of this approach. In the first case, the distribution of crystalline and amorphous phases in a sample from a historical glaze were mapped and the resulting composition was related to the production technology of the decoration. In the second case, Raman mapping was performed non-destructively in a ceramic fragment to contribute to elucidate the complex process involved in the lustre decoration formation. And in the third case, the composition of the different paint layers in a sample cross-section removed from a polychromed wooden sculpture was mapped in order to help differentiate original paint layers from those resulting from restoration interventions. Among the limitations of the mapping approach using a motorized xy stage are the impossibility to use it with art objects that do not fit on the stage, under the microscope objective, and the time required for the automatic optimization of the focus distance at each point. Examples of in situ non-invasive mapping experiments in two contemporary paintings using a novel configuration in which a set of mirrors is placed in the horizontal exit of the microscope attached to the spectrometer are discussed. The advantages of this system are, in addition to allowing to map larger objects, its full confocality and the possibility to work with multiple laser excitations. The limitations of this approach are also discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Studio Černe, Ljubljana, for lending the contemporary works of art analyzed for the present study; Črtomir Tavzes, from the Institute of the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, for help with the experimental setup of the Raman mapping utilizing the horizontal exit; and especially Arnaud Zoubir, from Horiba Jobin Yvon, for the fruitful collaboration in the development of the technology behind the scanning mirrors system. CM thanks Francesca Rosi and Valentina Manuali (from the Centro SMAArt, Università di Perugia, Italy) for help in the acquisition of mapping data using the xy stage, Luca Nodari (Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Padova, Italy) for the loan of the cross-section from the Hotel Hungaria tile and the Islamic Museum of Tehran for the loan of the Iranian lustred fragments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Conservation Centre, Institute for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, Poljanska 40, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Polonca Ropret

  2. Museum Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Institution, 4210 Silver Hill Rd., Suitland, MD, 20746, USA

    Polonca Ropret

  3. c/o Dipartimento di Chimica, Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Molecolari del CNR (CNR-ISTM), Universita’ di Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06123, Perugia, Italy

    Costanza Miliani

  4. Department of Scientific Research, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, 10028, USA

    Silvia A. Centeno

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  1. Polonca Ropret
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  2. Costanza Miliani
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  3. Silvia A. Centeno
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Correspondence to Polonca Ropret .

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  1. HORIBA Jobin Yvon S.A.S., rue de Lille 231, Villeneuve d'Ascq, 59650, France

    Arnaud Zoubir

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Ropret, P., Miliani, C., Centeno, S.A. (2012). Raman Mapping in the Scientific Investigations of Works of Art. In: Zoubir, A. (eds) Raman Imaging. Springer Series in Optical Sciences, vol 168. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28252-2_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28252-2_6

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