Physico-chemical analyses for historical and cultural artefacts : inorganic and organic materials used for art and archaeology

Kurzfassung

A French SME has developed physico-chemical analyses for characterising historical and cultural artefacts. These analyses are either non-invasive or use micro-samples in order to better understand works, determine a state of preservation – degradation and the different restorations. The SME, specialized in organic amorphous materials, offers its expertise in the different materials. The SME is looking for partnerships with others laboratories or end-users.

Details

A French SME has developed physico-chemical analyses for characterising historical and cultural artefacts. These analyses are either non-invasive or use micro-samples in order to better understand works, determine a state of preservation – degradation and the different restorations.

The SME is specialized in organic amorphous materials :
ocontent of ancient ceramics (archaeological problematics),
ostudy and scientifical knowledge of ethnographical objects (constitutive materials, use and function, state of degradation…)
orestoration materials, varnishes, waxes,… used for paintings
onatural dyes

Equipment:
olaboratory for the preparation of organic samples
ogas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS)
omicroscopy vis.-epifluorescence, histofluochemistry and immunochemistry,
omicrospectrometry Raman and SERS
oLC-MS
The SME is involved in several French research projects (ANR – CNRS)

The SME offers its expertise and is looking for partners in order to promote its know-how on different materials (ceramics, precious stones, glass, organic materials like oils, fats, waxes, resins, rubbers…).

End users could be archaeologists, restorers, art historians, curators or any other potential clients interested in the investigation of the molecular structure of a specific material (scientific police, food product quality check, gemmologists…).
Partnership with others laboratories to complement their expertise will be considered.

Innovative Aspects:
The methodology depends on the sample and the studied products which may be unknown at the beginning of the analysis). It is a radically different approach than an analytical laboratory. The approach is adapted to arts of works, especially museum objects, in order to guarantee their integrity: the methodology uses micro-invasive techniques or non-invasive in the case of dyes.
The results are more relevant and precise. So, it is a new field of research for archaeology.