PIXE technique applied to Almeida Junior materials

The Institute of Physics University of Sao Paulo in collaboration with the Pinacoteca do Estado of the State of Sao Paulo has a project to develop a data bank with information about the elementary composition of pigments of paintings and materials of its collection for future application as conservation and restoration as well as authenticity,. The project is beginning with the materials (palette, paint box and paint tubes) belonging to the painter Almeida Junior. Twenty-three spots on the palette were chosen with determined colors, and also the paint tubes present in the paint box. The PIXE (Particle Induced X-ray Emission) analysis of the spectra enabled to conclude that the red colors have predominant Hg and S suggesting Vermellion and the white one are consisted of Pb (Lead White). The analyzed tubes of same colors confirm the elements pigment present in the palette. (author)