Trace and Minor Element Analysis of Azurite Blues in Fine Arts: Possibilities and Limitations in Provenance Studies

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F61388980%3A_____%2F24%3A00599264" target="_blank" >RIV/61388980:_____/24:00599264 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00037028241280989" target="_blank" >https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00037028241280989</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00037028241280989" target="_blank" >10.1177/00037028241280989</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Trace and Minor Element Analysis of Azurite Blues in Fine Arts: Possibilities and Limitations in Provenance Studies

Original language description

Azurite, a historical blue mineral pigment, has previously been described to contain certain elemental impurities. These may originate from host rocks, vein fillings, or the primary copper ore mineralization. In this study, azurites (and also green malachites) from three important Central European deposits with a potential of being exploited for pigment usage already in the Middle Ages have been studied, together with azurite from Chessy, France, with a different geological setting. Using electron probe microanalysis and, more importantly, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy for trace elemental analysis, several indicators were pinpointed as important for provenance: characteristic elemental fingerprint of the deposit, e.g., elevated lead (Pb) in combination with rare earth elements, may be combined with zinc (Zn)/arsenic (As) ratio (indicating sources of excess Zn in the primary deposit) and the overall amount of metal impurities (suggesting the source mineral of copper for azurite formation). In addition, malachites from the same deposits were found to preferentially incorporate primary ore metal elements as well as Cd, Mg, Mn, or U. Therefore, if azurite pigment contains an elevated amount of malachite as an impurity, it may significantly influence the overall elemental composition. The results obtained on geological samples were applied to two micro-samples of works of art containing azurite-rich layers originating from the 13th-14th and 16th centuries. It was shown that it is highly beneficial to focus on the overall trace elemental composition of the paint layer and not on the admixed mineral grains, as their presence, especially in minute micro-samples, is largely accidental and thus not representative. Although a higher number of samples need to be studied in the future, the newly described criteria made it possible to exclude some of the localities of the employed azurite pigment. This confirmed the key importance of trace elements analysis of mineral pigments for the provenance studies of fine arts.

Czech name

—

Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10505 - Geology

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA22-17966S" target="_blank" >GA22-17966S: Impact of Thriving Mid-European Mining Regions on Painting Pigments and Technologies at the Outset of Modern Age</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2024

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Applied Spectroscopy

ISSN

0003-7028

e-ISSN

1943-3530

Volume of the periodical

78

Issue of the periodical within the volume

11

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

18

Pages from-to

1136-1153

UT code for WoS article

001325944800001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85205696325