title: Non-invasive quantitative micro-PIXE-RBS/EBS/EBS imaging reveals the lost polychromy and gilding of the Neo-Assyrian ivories from the Louvre collection.
abstract: Antique objects are known to have been brightly colored. However, the appearance of these objects has changed over time and paint traces are rarely preserved. The surface of ivory objects (8th century B.C., Syria) from the Louvre museum collection (Paris) have been non-invasively studied by simultaneous particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and Rutherford and elastic backscattering spectrometry (RBS/EBS) micro-imaging at the AGLAE facility (C2RMF, Paris). Qualitative 2D chemical images of elements ranging from Na to Pb on the surface of the ancient ivory carvings provide evidence of lost polychromy and gilding. Quantitative PIXE data of specific areas allow discrimination between traces of sediments and former polychromy. Different shades of blue can be differentiated from particular Pb/Cu ratios. The characterization of gilding based on RBS data demonstrates the exceptional technological skills of the Phoenician craftsmen supposed to have carved the Arslan Tash ivories. More precise reconstructions of the original polychromy compared to previous studies and a criterion for the authentication of ancient gilded ivory object are proposed.
authors.affiliation: Sorbonne Universités UPMC University Paris VI, UMR 8220, Paris, France; Laboratoire d׳Archéologie Moléculaire et Structurale (LAMS), UMR 8220 CNRS UPMC, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Albéric
authors.affiliation: Sorbonne Universités UPMC University Paris VI, UMR 8220, Paris, France; Laboratoire d׳Archéologie Moléculaire et Structurale (LAMS), UMR 8220 CNRS UPMC, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (C2RMF), Paris, France.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pichon
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (C2RMF), Paris, France.
authors.forename: Quentin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lemasson
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (C2RMF), Paris, France.
authors.forename: Brice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Moignard
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (C2RMF), Paris, France.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pacheco
authors.affiliation: Département des Antiquités Orientales, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fontan
authors.affiliation: Sorbonne Universités UPMC University Paris VI, UMR 8220, Paris, France; Laboratoire d׳Archéologie Moléculaire et Structurale (LAMS), UMR 8220 CNRS UPMC, Paris, France; Rathgen-Forschungslabor, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: ina.reiche@upmc.fr.
authors.forename: Ina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Reiche
keywords: Au NPs; Elemental imaging; Ivory; Micro-PIXE–RBS/EBS; Paints