A novel method for dendrochronology of large historical wooden objects using line trajectory X-ray tomography

Jan Dorscheid,Sophia Bethany Coban,Willem Jan Palenstijn,Alexander Kostenko,Marta Domínguez-Delmás,Erma Hermens,K Joost Batenburg,Francien G Bossema

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-90135-4

Jan Dorscheid, Sophia Bethany Coban + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-90135-4

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Abstract

Dendrochronology is an essential tool to determine the date and provenance of wood from historical art objects. As standard methods to access the tree rings are invasive, X-ray computed tomography (CT) has been proposed for non-invasive dendrochronological investigation. While traditional CT can provide clear images of the inner structure of wooden objects, it requires their full rotation, imposing strong limitations on the size of the object. These limitations have previously encouraged investigations into alternative acquisition trajectories, including trajectories with only linear movement. In this paper, we use such a line-trajectory (LT) X-ray tomography technique to retrieve tree-ring patterns from large wooden objects. We demonstrate that by moving a wooden artifact sideways between the static X-ray source and the detector during acquisition, sharp reconstruction images of the tree rings can be produced. We validate this technique using computer simulations and two wooden test planks, and demonstrate it on a large iconic chest from the Rijksmuseum collection (Amsterdam, The Netherlands). The LT scanning method can be easily implemented in standard X-ray imaging units available at museum research facilities. Therefore, this scanning technique represents a major step towards the standard implementation of non-invasive dendrochronology on large wooden cultural heritage objects.

Highlights

Dendrochronology is an essential tool to determine the date and provenance of wood from historical art objects
The use of computed tomography (CT) for non-invasive imaging of tree rings has grown over the last decade, as it provides access to the inner structure of the wood when the tree-ring patterns cannot be retrieved by direct inspection on the s urface[24,25,26,27]
Our research demonstrates that the proposed LT X-ray tomography method provides reconstructed images suitable for dendrochronological research

Summary

Introduction

Dendrochronology is an essential tool to determine the date and provenance of wood from historical art objects. The LT scanning method can be implemented in standard X-ray imaging units available at museum research facilities This scanning technique represents a major step towards the standard implementation of non-invasive dendrochronology on large wooden cultural heritage objects. The shorter the series, the higher the likelihood to obtain spurious matches in random positions, which precludes the possibility to identify which one is the correct date[19] These considerations have prompted in recent years an increasing demand for the implementation of dendrochronology through non-invasive techniques. The use of computed tomography (CT) for non-invasive imaging of tree rings has grown over the last decade, as it provides access to the inner structure of the wood when the tree-ring patterns cannot be retrieved by direct inspection on the s urface[24,25,26,27]. As a result of such constraints, few large wooden objects, such as panel paintings and sculptures, have been scanned using CT far[25,30]

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