Eur. Phys. J. Plus (2021) 136: 341
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-021-01326-x

Regular Article

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

¹ HERCULES Laboratory, University of Évora, Palácio do Vimioso, Largo Marquês de Marialva 8, 7000-809, Évora, Portugal
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
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
⁴ Consortium HERITAS - Estudos de Património, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
⁵ Dipartimento di Chimica e Farmacia, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100, Sassari, Italy
⁶ City University of Macau Chair in Sustainable Heritage, Universidade de Évora, Largo dos Colegiais 2, 7000-645, Évora, Portugal

^d cpm@uevora.pt

Received: 6 November 2020
Accepted: 14 March 2021
Published online: 24 March 2021

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.