3 research outputs found
Revealing the Origin and History of Lead-White Pigments by Their Photoluminescence Properties
The
lead white pigment, composed of two main mineral phases cerussite
PbCO<sub>3</sub> and hydrocerussite 2PbCO<sub>3</sub>·PbÂ(OH)<sub>2</sub>, has been used in paintings since the Antiquity. The study
of historical sources revealed that a large variety of lead white
qualities were proposed, depending on the degree of sophistication
of the pigment synthesis. Investigation of photoluminescence of the
two constitutive mineral phases gave insight into the origin of the
visible emission of these materials and emphasized the influence of
structural defects on their photoluminescence properties. These effects
were observed by combining emission and excitation spectra in two-dimensional
representations. For each excitation wavelength, between 250 and 400
nm (4.9–3.1 eV), luminescence spectra were collected between
400 and 800 nm (3.1–1.5 eV). Two types of emission-excitation
bands were identified: an emission excited in the optical bandgap
of the compounds (about 5 eV), which depends on the constitutive phase
(2.8 eV in cerussite and 2.1 eV in hydrocerussite), and broad emission
bands in the same energy range excited below the optical gap, which
are sensitive to the synthesis method and the nature of postsynthesis
treatments. It is proposed that this sensitivity of photoluminescence
properties of lead-white pigments could be used as fingerprints of
their origin and history
Degradation Process of Lead Chromate in Paintings by Vincent van Gogh Studied by Means of Spectromicroscopic Methods. Part 5. Effects of Nonoriginal Surface Coatings into the Nature and Distribution of Chromium and Sulfur Species in Chrome Yellow Paints
The
darkening of lead chromate yellow pigments, caused by a reduction
of the chromate ions to CrÂ(III) compounds, is known to affect the
appearance of several paintings by Vincent van Gogh. In previous papers
of this series, we demonstrated that the darkening is activated by
light and depends on the chemical composition and crystalline structure
of the pigments. In this work, the results of Part 2 are extended
and complemented with a new study aimed at deepening the knowledge
of the nature and distribution of Cr and S species at the interface
between the chrome yellow paint and the nonoriginal coating layer.
For this purpose, three microsamples from two varnished paintings
by Van Gogh and a waxed low relief by Gauguin (all originally uncoated)
have been examined. Because nonoriginal coatings are often present
in artwork by Van Gogh and contemporaries, the understanding of whether
or not their application has influenced the morphological and/or physicochemical
properties of the chrome yellow paint underneath is relevant in view
of the conservation of these masterpieces. In all the samples studied,
microscopic X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) and X-ray absorption
near edge structure (μ-XANES) investigations showed that CrÂ(III)-based
alteration products are present in the form of grains inside the coating
(generally enriched of S species) and also homogeneously widespread
at the paint surface. The distribution of CrÂ(III) species may be explained
by the mechanical friction caused by the coating application by brush
that picked up and redistributed the superficial Cr compounds, likely
already present in the reduced state as result of the photodegradation
process. The analysis of the XANES profiles allowed us to obtain new
insights into the nature of the CrÂ(III) alteration products, that
were identified as sulfate-, oxide-, organo-metal-, and chloride-based
compounds. Building upon the knowledge acquired through the examination
of original paint samples and from the investigation of aged model
paints in the last Part 4 paper, in this study we aim to characterize
a possible relation between the chemical composition of the coating
and the chrome yellow degradation pathways by studying photochemically
aged model samples covered with a dammar varnish contaminated with
sulfide and sulfate salts. Cr speciation results did not show any
evidence of the active role of the varnish and added S species on
the reduction process of chrome yellows
Degradation Process of Lead Chromate in Paintings by Vincent van Gogh Studied by Means of Spectromicroscopic Methods. 3. Synthesis, Characterization, and Detection of Different Crystal Forms of the Chrome Yellow Pigment
The painter, Vincent van Gogh, and some of his contemporaries
frequently
made use of the pigment chrome yellow that is known to show a tendency
toward darkening. This pigment may correspond to various chemical
compounds such as PbCrO<sub>4</sub> and PbCr<sub>1‑<i>x</i></sub>S<sub><i>x</i></sub>O<sub>4</sub>, that may each
be present in various crystallographic forms with different tendencies
toward degradation. Investigations by X-ray diffraction (XRD), mid-Fourier
Transform infrared (FTIR), and Raman instruments (benchtop and portable)
and synchrotron radiation-based micro-XRD and X-ray absorption near
edge structure spectroscopy performed on oil-paint models, prepared
with in-house synthesized PbCrO<sub>4</sub> and PbCr<sub>1‑<i>x</i></sub>S<sub><i>x</i></sub>O<sub>4</sub>, permitted
us to characterize the spectroscopic features of the various forms.
On the basis of these results, an extended study has been carried
out on historic paint tubes and on embedded paint microsamples taken
from yellow-orange/pale yellow areas of 12 Van Gogh paintings, demonstrating
that Van Gogh effectively made use of different chrome
yellow types. This conclusion was also confirmed by in situ mid-FTIR
investigations on Van Gogh’s <i>Portrait of Gauguin</i> (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam)