title: The study of bronze statuettes with the help of neutron-imaging techniques.
abstract: Until recently fabrication techniques of Renaissance bronzes have been studied only with the naked eye, microscopically, videoscopically and with X-radiography. These techniques provide information on production techniques, yet much important detail remains unclear. As part of an interdisciplinary study of Renaissance bronzes undertaken by the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, neutron-imaging techniques have been applied with the aim of obtaining a better understanding of bronze workmanship during the Renaissance period. Therefore, an explanation of the fabrication techniques is given to better understand the data collected by these neutron-imaging techniques. The data was used for tomography studies, which reveal hidden aspects that could not at all or scarcely be seen using X-radiography. For this specific study, the representative bronze 'Hercules Pomarius' of Willem van Tetrode (ca 1520-1588) has been examined, along with 20 other Renaissance bronzes from the Rijksmuseum collection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science, Faculty 3mE, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands. r.van.langh@rijksmuseum.nl
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Van Langh
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaestner
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scholten