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On the use of hand-held X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy coupled to Monte Carlo simulations for the depth assessment of painted objects: The case study of a sixteenth-century illuminated printed book

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Abstract

This paper presents the application of an established XRF-MC (X-ray fluorescence-Monte Carlo) protocol to evaluate for the first time the thickness of pictorial layers in illuminated manuscripts. A previously investigated, sixteenth-century book printed in Paris (BPE, Inc. 438) was chosen as the case study: multiple analysis spots were scanned in selected areas (painted and unpainted) with p-XRF (hand-held XRF); later, the obtained spectra were compared against Monte Carlo simulations. Two pathways of MC simulations emerged: a three-layer model for the painted areas (stratigraphic sequence, from outer to inner: pictorial layer–underdrawing–parchment) and a two-layer model for the unpainted areas (underdrawing–parchment). Also, the calculated thickness of each simulated layer was compared against the thickness of micro-samples from Inc. 438. The results proved the protocol to provide quantitative compositional and stratigraphic data, yet with limitations. Results encourage the future research to elaborate a protocol.

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Acknowledgements

The research was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) by National Funds under the projects UIDP/04449/2020 (HERCULES Laboratory), DL 57/2016/CP1372/CT0012 (Norma Transitória), UIDB/00057/2020 (CIDEHUS/UE) and UIDB/04042/2020 (CIEBA/UL). The authors express their gratitude to the Public Library of Évora for authorising the analysis on BPE, Inc. 438 and making the item available for the study. Silvia Bottura Scardina thanks personally the University of Lisbon to allow the present study through the financial support of the research grant BD-2017.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. HERCULES Laboratory, University of Évora, Palácio do Vimioso, Largo Marquês de Marialva 8, 7000-809, Évora, Portugal

    Silvia Bottura-Scardina, Carlo Bottaini & Catarina Miguel

  2. Centro de Investigação e de Estudos em Belas-Artes (CIEBA), University of Lisbon, Largo da Academia Nacional de Belas Artes 4, 1249-058, Lisboa, Portugal

    Silvia Bottura-Scardina

  3. Centro Interdisciplinar de História, Culturas e Sociedades (CIDEHUS), University of Évora, Largo do Marquês de Marialva 8, Palácio do Vimioso, 7000-809, Évora, Portugal

    Silvia Bottura-Scardina

  4. Consortium HERITAS - Estudos de Património, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal

    Silvia Bottura-Scardina

  5. Dipartimento di Chimica e Farmacia, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100, Sassari, Italy

    Antonio Brunetti

  6. City University of Macau Chair in Sustainable Heritage, Universidade de Évora, Largo dos Colegiais 2, 7000-645, Évora, Portugal

    Carlo Bottaini & Catarina Miguel

Authors
  1. Silvia Bottura-Scardina
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  2. Antonio Brunetti
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  3. Carlo Bottaini
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  4. Catarina Miguel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Catarina Miguel.

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Funding

This study was funded by DL 57/2016/CP1372/CT0012 (Norma Transitória), UIDP/04449/2020 (HERCULES Laboratory) and BD-2017 (Grant for doctoral studies).

Conflict of interest

Antonio Brunetti, Carlo Bottaini and Catarina Miguel certify that they have no affiliation or involvement in any organisation or entity with any financial interest, or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript. Silvia Bottura Scardina certifies the involvement in the University of Lisbon for the attribution of the Ph.D. grant as the financial support of the project “The Technique of Illumination in the sixteenth-century Book of Hours—a Multidisciplinary Study of the Materials, Technique and Artistic Influences in Hardouyns’ Incunabula”

Data availability

Data are available on request from the authors.

Author contributions

CB planned and performed the p-XRF analysis; AB designed the MC model, the computational framework and carried out the MC simulations. SBS and CM interpreted the compositional data on the paints, and with AB analysed the data from the MC simulations. SBS wrote the manuscript with input from all authors. CB and CM conceived the study and SBS was in charge of overall direction.

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Bottura-Scardina, S., Brunetti, A., Bottaini, C. et al. On the use of hand-held X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy coupled to Monte Carlo simulations for the depth assessment of painted objects: The case study of a sixteenth-century illuminated printed book. Eur. Phys. J. Plus 136, 341 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-021-01326-x

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