ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in combination with energy dispersive x-raymicroanalysis (EDX)were used for the characterization of the structure of the paint layers of a specimen taken from a mural painting. The sample consisted of 7 layers in total, whereby a thin layer of pure gold was suspected to be the uppermost layer. The sequence of the various paint layers as well as the distribution of the elements present in the pigments could be obtained from the cross-sectioned specimen. Additionally, synchrotron induced x-ray microdiffraction analysis (XRD) enabled the identification of the crystalline structure of the pigments used for the painting. Traversing the sectioned sample through a focused x-ray beam with a size of 2µm allows microscopic resolved analysis of the crystalline constituents within the diverse paint layers. By this, it is possible to attribute the usage of various pigment minerals within the paint layers, even including a 2µm thick gold layer at the surface.
