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From Raphael (La Deposizione) to Raphael (La Fornarina): a Circumnavigation Accompanying the Evolution of Energy-Dispersive XRF Devices

  • General and Applied Physics
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Abstract

This paper describes history and technical evolution of portable devices which use energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF)-analysis to study works of art. The history starts in 1971, when the first transportable equipment was employed to examine the pigments of Raphael’s painting “La Deposizione” during restoration at the “Istituto Centrale del Restauro” in Rome. Then, paintings of all types were analyzed and metals (bronzes, brasses, gold and silver). The evolution of the exciting source is described (from radioisotopes or big size X-ray tubes, to miniaturized, dedicated X-ray tubes) and of X-ray detectors (from proportional gas counters, to N2-cooled Si or Ge-detectors, to Peltier cooled HgI2 and Si-PIN, to Peltier cooled Si-drift). Also, the pulse height analyzers had an important evolution, from a heavy box to a computer card, to very small electronic circuits included in the detector box. The most “modern” portable EDXRF device is currently composed of a small-size X-ray tube, a Si-drift detector, both properly collimated, a portable computer, and dedicated software for the processing of the data. The total weight of such a device is about 2 kg. The last evolution: from analysis of a limited number of points to a complete scanning of the artifact. A mechanics is also required, with a sophisticated software interfacing mechanics to measuring heads. Maps giving the distribution of all analyzed elements in all areas of the painting “La Fornarina” by Raphael could be obtained. Finally, an accurate analysis of the K or L-X rays of the elements present in the paintings allowed to determine the disposition of the pigment in the correct layer.

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Acknowledgements

One of the authors (S. Ridolfi) is the CEO of Ars-Meansure. Three authors are part of the European Doctorate on Archaeological and Cultural Materials Science (ED-ARCHMAT) that is an ITN-MSCA project to support research activities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy

    Roberto Cesareo

  2. Dipartimento Di Scienze Di Base Ed Applicate Per L’Ingegneria, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy

    Giovanni E. Gigante & Sergio A. Barcellos Lins

  3. University of Salento, Lecce, Italy

    Alfredo Castellano

  4. Ars Mensurae, Rome, Italy

    Stefano Ridolfi

  5. Surface Analysis Laboratory, INFN Roma Tre, Rome, Italy

    Sergio A. Barcellos Lins

Authors
  1. Roberto Cesareo
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  2. Giovanni E. Gigante
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  4. Stefano Ridolfi
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  5. Sergio A. Barcellos Lins
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Correspondence to Giovanni E. Gigante.

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Additional information

This paper is dedicated to our friend and mentor professor Sergio Mascarenhas. Sergio was not only an excellent physicist, but he was also a great lover of the arts, and particularly of the Italian Renaissance. He particularly adored Raphael and everywhere Sergio was active, there was a copy of “the school of Athens,” a well-known masterpiece by Raphael. Sergio was also curious about the correlation between Science and Art, and was always anxious about the progress of scientific methods applied to studies of artifacts. For this reason, we organized in Alghero, Italy, a symposium in his honor, for his 70 years, and now, we dedicate to him this paper, which concerns analyses with X-rays of Raphael’s paintings. Sergio was not only a great scientist and a great Brazilian. He was also a great friend, liked jokes, and was full of joy of living and sense of humor, as shown in  Fig. 17 photo, taken at the Institute for Advanced Studies of Princeton, where he was invited in 1996.

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Cesareo, R., Gigante, G.E., Castellano, A. et al. From Raphael (La Deposizione) to Raphael (La Fornarina): a Circumnavigation Accompanying the Evolution of Energy-Dispersive XRF Devices. Braz J Phys 52, 54 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13538-021-01042-y

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