Investigation of a 15th century silverpoint drawing via µ-XRF
Matthias Alfeld, Simone Cagno, Joris Dik, Jef Schaeps, Karen Rickers-Appel, Koen Janssens · Leiden Repository (Leiden University) · 2009
In the 15th and 16th century, a well used technique to create high quality drawings was to draw them with a metalpoint stylus on special paper. The paper for metalpoint drawings was made by adding a preparation layer on its surface, which gave a white ground for the drawing and stiffened the surface. This is necessary to depose a visible amount of metal on the surface of the drawing via a stylus. In this period drawings and paintings were normally not signed, so that it is very difficult to identify the artist, as there is seldom written proof of his identity. Next to art historical studies comparing the style of artists it is possible to compare the composition of their tools by chemical and physical means. As most objects from the field of cultural heritage analysis are very valuable, the analysis must be destruction free and the time to analyze them is often limited. The need for an accurate, fast and destruction free method with a high spatial resolution to study such pieces of art in detail is best satisfied by synchrotron-based µ-XRF. Silverpoint styli only leave tiny amounts of silver on the surface of a drawing. So they can be used over a long period without significant attrition. Metalpoint styli were not mass produced making them quiet costly and considerably variable in their composition. It can be assumed that an artist