Visible-induced luminescence imaging in the near infrared range
(800-1700 nm) can play a key role in the spatial
characterization of certain historical blue pigments (principally Egyptian blue, Han blue and Han purple). All three of
these pigments show a very strong infrared emission when excited across the visible range. The setup required for this
type of measurement comprises a recording device with some sensitivity to near infrared radiation and an excitation
source in the visible range. Inexpensive and widely available excitation radiation sources that can be used for this
application include fluorescent lamps and LEDs. While visible LEDs do not usually emit infrared radiation,
commercially available fluorescent tubes may emit some stray infrared radiation. Although the presence of such stray
infrared radiation may in some cases be considered beneficial, allowing the user easily to locate the presence of the
pigments under investigation within the composition of the piece, it can be easily removed using a simple subtraction
method. This method, based on the measurement of the reflective properties of the surface under investigation in the
emission range of the luminescent pigments, is described. The emission results obtained for Egyptian blue, Han blue and
Han purple are compared to those of a set of representative historical and modern blue pigments, including manganese
blue, which was the only other pigment found to show detectable luminescence properties. Examples of the application
of visible-induced luminescence imaging to archaeological objects of the Antonine period (AD 100-200) in the
collections of the British Museum are also presented.
Although digital multispectral imaging-particularly
ultraviolet-induced fluorescence imaging-is a very common
examination tool, its interpretation remains fraught with difficulties. Interpretation is strongly dependent on the capture
methodology, requires an understanding of the physical and chemical characteristics and interactions among materials in
artworks and is affected by data-analysis procedures.
The present research, which began with imaging of paint materials of known composition and proceeded to a range of
representative case studies, confirmed that fluorescence emissions by painting materials-such as organic binders or
colorants-are generally severely affected by the presence of absorbing non-fluorescing materials, such as inorganic
pigments. Application of a mathematical model based on the
Kubelka-Munk theory, resulted in the possibility of
distinguishing between real and apparent fluorescence emissions. Real emissions correspond to the presence of materials
which de facto exhibit fluorescent properties (typically organic binders and colorants), while apparent emissions relate to
the optical interactions among fluorescent materials and surrounding non-fluorescent materials (typically inorganic
pigments). Correction for the 'pigment-binder interaction' can also provide useful information on the presence of
materials whose fluorescence is almost obliterated by absorbing pigmented particles. Therefore, this image-processing
methodology can be used to characterise and reveal emissions that are dimmed or altered by re-absorption. This capacity
to reveal the presence of weakly fluorescing emitters has important conservation implications and informs the sampling
strategy for further analytical investigations.
Examples of the application of this data analysis to images made at the Grotto Site in Dunhuang, China, and at the
British Museum are presented.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.