Non-destructive elemental analysis on paintings and metal artefacts

A. Denker, Ionenstrahllabor, Hahn-Meitner-Institut, Glienicker Str. 100, D 14109 Berlin

In most cases sampling on art objects is prohibited for several reasons: The uniqueness of the 
objects, their - intellectual - value, and their fragility. In the cases where sampling is 
authorized, it is only possible on hidden places, not, e.g. in the facial region of a portrait. 
Therefore, non-destructive methods have to be applied in order to obtain information about the 
composition and structure of the objects. One non-destructive method of choice is the proton 
induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). High energy protons with an energy of around 60 MeV have a large 
range in the investigated material and, therefore, can provide information from deep inside the 
object.
Measurements on ancient paintings, providing complementary information to the Neutron 
Autoradiography, as well as the analysis of Bronze Age and Medieval metal objects, will be presented.