Science and spectroscopy of cultural artifacts

文物为文明提供了我们过去的历史和艺术记录。文物包括绘画、档案文件和博物馆文物，它们通常是用各种各样的技术和材料制成的。在制定保护或处理策略之前，通常需要对工件进行评估。工件的评估可以像目视检查一样简单，也可以涉及复杂的仪器技术。这项研究计划致力于开发和应用仪器技术，以帮助保护科学家评估特定的人工制品。研究计划分为三个领域：微采样、多光谱成像和色素降解机制的研究。微采样项目包括测试使用干燥的棉花芽从各种绘画表面（如绘画、地图）提取少量颜料的可行性。提取颜料最重要的应用是识别颜料中使用的金属，因为历史上最重要的颜料都含有金属，这种方法是识别艺术家使用的颜料的理想方法。多光谱成像实验将针对含有印刷品的人工制品，这些印刷品由于自然老化而变得褪色或难以阅读。将被检查的具体文物包括一个桶顶以及来自温尼伯马尼托巴档案馆的印刷材料。本研究的部分内容还将集中于应用数学方法来增强褪色文本的可读性。文物老化的一个症状是外观的变化，如变黑。色素变黑可能由于多种原因而发生，例如存在不相容的颜料或储存条件。研究还将在显微镜载玻片上使用实验室制备的颜料来研究一些颜料的降解机制。红外和可见光谱学将用于检查颜料立德粉和含砷颜料雄黄和雌黄中的结构和物理变化。

Cultural artifacts provide civilization with a historic and artistic record of our past. Cultural artifacts include paintings, archived documents and museum objects that are often made with a very wide variety of techniques and materials. Prior to developing a strategy for conservation or treatment, assessment of the artifact is generally required. Assessment of an artifact can be as simple as a visual inspection or it can involve sophisticated instrumental techniques. This research program is dedicated to the development and application of instrumental techniques that can be used for assisting the conservation scientist in the assessment of a specific artifact. The research program is divided into three areas involving: micro-sampling, multi-spectral imaging and investigating the mechanisms of pigment degradation. The micro-sampling project involves testing the feasibility of using a dry cotton bud for extracting a small amount of pigment from various painted surfaces (e.g. paintings, maps). The most important application for pigment extraction is to identify the metals used in the pigment and since most historically important pigment contain metals, this approach is ideal for identifiying pigments used by artists. Multi-spectral imaging experiments will be directed at artifacts that contain print, which has become faded or difficult to read as a result of natural aging. Specific artifacts that will be examined include a barrel top as well as printed material from the Manitoba Archives in Winnipeg. Part of this research will also focus on the application of mathematical approaches to enhance the readability of faded text. One symptom of ageing of cultural artifacts is a change in appearance such as darkening. Pigment darkening may occur for a number of reasons such as the presence of incompatible pigments or storage conditions. Studies will also be carried out using laboratory prepared paints on microscope slides to investigate the mechanism of degradation of some pigments. Infrared and visible spectroscopy will be used to examine structural and physical changes that occur in the pigments lithopone and the arsenic-containing pigments realgar and orpiment.