Non-destructive and in-site analyses of the pigments of muralpaintings

颜料的非破坏性分析不仅对了解文化财产而且对保护文化财产都非常重要。X射线荧光作为非破坏性分析的典型方法已经众所周知，但是该方法需要电力。在壁画分析中，由于现场不容易获得电力进行分析，因此本研究开发了一种电池控制的分析方法。使用低水平放射性同位素，可以很容易地用一台小型（小于30 cm X 30 cm X 30 cm）机器进行非破坏性分析。此外，机器的重量小于4公斤，包括电池。因此，只需一个人用一只手将机器带入现场，无需电力，即可在现场对颜料进行分析，无需接触现场，并可在现场得到结果。于是，日本的大量壁画和绘画作品就被上面的机器所调查。分析了函馆市绘画的颜料，发现函馆港开放后，新的进口颜料侵入。对出云地区壁画的颜料进行了分析，发现钙白颜料的特殊使用仅限于特殊建筑物。通过对熊本县装饰墓中的绿色和蓝色颜料的分析，区分了这两种颜料，希望这种方法能对各种文化财产的颜料研究有所帮助。

Non-destructive analyses of pigments is very important not only for understanding cultural property but also for the conservation of cultural property. X-ray fluorescence is already well known as a typical method for non-destructive analyses, but electric power is necessary for that method. When thinking about the analyses of mural paintings, it is not always easy to get electric power for the analyses at the site in-situ.Thus, a battery-controlled analytical method was newly developed in this research. Using low-level radio isotope, non-destructive analyses can be carried out quite easily with a small (less than 30cm X 30cm X30cm) machine. Moreover, the weight of the machine is less than 4 kg including battery. Accordingly, only one person can bring the machine with one hand into the sites without electric power, and then can analyze the pigments at the sites without touching the sites, and can get the results in-situ.Then, a lot of mural paintings and paintings in Japan were surveyed by the machine above. Pigments of the paintings in Hokodate City were analyzed, and intruding of new imported pigments were found after the opening of the Hakodate Harbor. Pigments of the mural paintings in Izumo District were analyzed, and special use of Ca-white pigment was found only on a special building. Green and blue pigments of the decorated tombs in Kumamoto Prefecture were distinguished by the analyses.So it is hoped that this method will contribute to researches on pigments of various cultural property.