Time-gated photoluminescence microscopy as an emerging method for the study of paint cross-sections

Abstract

In painting conservation the examination of cross-sections is fundamental, especially when dealing with aged samples where the presence of deterioration products located within the paint stratigraphy and at the surface must be considered. The use of an epifluorescence microscope equipped with a UV light source is particularly advantageous for the examination of paint stratigraphy, since many painting materials luminesce. In this contribution, we present an improvement of basic equipment by proposing the use of a time-resolved and spectrally-resolved photoluminescence (PL) approach. In particular, we illustrate a detailed study of the PL emission of paint cross-sections from two samples from eighteenth C. wall paintings characterized by a complex stratigraphy and the presence of degradation products.