Knowledge gathered through spectroscopic analysis deepens our understanding of
degradation processes, past and present, and thus provides scientific bases for
proper preservation measures to ensure safe future for our heritage. The fact that
most spectroscopic methods can be used on art objects directly, without any
sampling, makes art and heritage artifacts a particularly fruitful field of activity for
spectroscopists.
The first study of artworks encompassing chemical analysis of pottery, glass, and
porcelain was accomplished by Rene-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur (1683–1757)
between 1719 and 1739 in France [1–4]. Then at the beginning of the nineteenth
century, Sir Humphry Davy (1778–1829) published the study on pigments from the
wall paintings discovered during the excavation in Pompeii. In both studies, the
specimens had to be destructed in order to achieve the chemical identification of the
pigments used by the artists [5]. From the early beginnings mentioned above, we
observe the contribution by chemists, applying chemical knowledge to solving
various questions referring to the wide diversity of the heritage objects. Martin
Heinrich Klaproth (1743–1817) determined the composition of some Greek and
Roman coins [6], previously mentioned Sir Humphry Davy identified synthetic
pigment (later called Egyptian Blue) among the ancient pigments collected in Rome
and Pompeii [6]. Jöns Jakob Berzelius (1778–1848) investigated the composition of
ancient bronzes [6], and Michael Faraday (1791–1867) studied Roman pottery
bronze [6]. Unfortunately, at that time the chemical analysis was associated with the
undesired necessity of complete destruction of the analyzed objects.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the rapid development of modern
instrumentation and analytical techniques was accompanied by the growth of scientific investigations of art and archeological objects. However, the destructive
approach to study of the artworks has not changed significantly when in 1922
Eccles and Rackham published their work [7] on the wet chemical analyses of
English, Welsh, Chinese, and continental porcelain from the Victoria & Albert’s
Museum collection. The valuable specimens were destroyed in order to establish
their chemical composition [5].
In this chapter, authors present in details only a selection of spectroscopic
techniques applied in heritage studies, focusing on the ones with a particular
importance for identification of artwork constituents (Raman spectroscopy) and a
technique where visible light spectroscopy is used with a unique purpose of predicting extent of possible future degradation of the artifact upon exposure to light
(microfading tests).
16.2 Raman Spectroscopy
In 2016, the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical,
Physical and Engineering Sciences, 201 years after publishing Davy’s paper,
published a special issue presenting the diversity of the cultural heritage materials
and objects studied by means of the Raman spectroscopy alone or with the
484
T. Łojewski and B. Łydżba-Kopczyńska
degradation processes, past and present, and thus provides scientific bases for
proper preservation measures to ensure safe future for our heritage. The fact that
most spectroscopic methods can be used on art objects directly, without any
sampling, makes art and heritage artifacts a particularly fruitful field of activity for
spectroscopists.
The first study of artworks encompassing chemical analysis of pottery, glass, and
porcelain was accomplished by Rene-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur (1683–1757)
between 1719 and 1739 in France [1–4]. Then at the beginning of the nineteenth
century, Sir Humphry Davy (1778–1829) published the study on pigments from the
wall paintings discovered during the excavation in Pompeii. In both studies, the
specimens had to be destructed in order to achieve the chemical identification of the
pigments used by the artists [5]. From the early beginnings mentioned above, we
observe the contribution by chemists, applying chemical knowledge to solving
various questions referring to the wide diversity of the heritage objects. Martin
Heinrich Klaproth (1743–1817) determined the composition of some Greek and
Roman coins [6], previously mentioned Sir Humphry Davy identified synthetic
pigment (later called Egyptian Blue) among the ancient pigments collected in Rome
and Pompeii [6]. Jöns Jakob Berzelius (1778–1848) investigated the composition of
ancient bronzes [6], and Michael Faraday (1791–1867) studied Roman pottery
bronze [6]. Unfortunately, at that time the chemical analysis was associated with the
undesired necessity of complete destruction of the analyzed objects.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the rapid development of modern
instrumentation and analytical techniques was accompanied by the growth of scientific investigations of art and archeological objects. However, the destructive
approach to study of the artworks has not changed significantly when in 1922
Eccles and Rackham published their work [7] on the wet chemical analyses of
English, Welsh, Chinese, and continental porcelain from the Victoria & Albert’s
Museum collection. The valuable specimens were destroyed in order to establish
their chemical composition [5].
In this chapter, authors present in details only a selection of spectroscopic
techniques applied in heritage studies, focusing on the ones with a particular
importance for identification of artwork constituents (Raman spectroscopy) and a
technique where visible light spectroscopy is used with a unique purpose of predicting extent of possible future degradation of the artifact upon exposure to light
(microfading tests).
16.2 Raman Spectroscopy
In 2016, the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical,
Physical and Engineering Sciences, 201 years after publishing Davy’s paper,
published a special issue presenting the diversity of the cultural heritage materials
and objects studied by means of the Raman spectroscopy alone or with the
484
T. Łojewski and B. Łydżba-Kopczyńska