Time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging in cultural heritage: A focus on old paintings By Caroline Bouvier, Sebastiaan Van Nuffel, Philippe Walter and Alain Brunelle

Abstract

Certain objects and know-how have cultural significance in our societies, that is, they are inherited from a common past and are meant to be preserved and passed down from generation to generation. These can be works of art such as frescoes, paintings or jewelry, but also statues, ruins, and everyday objects such as pottery, tools, remedies, and cosmetics. All of which are a testimony to the skills and technical knowledge of the past societies. The expertise and actions of curators and restorers play an important role in this generational transmission of cultural heritage. The chemical analysis of old paintings has been of increasing interest for several decades. In this review special feature, Alain Brunelle and colleagues highlight the context and the objectives of the analysis of such samples by TOF-SIMS imaging. This MS technology is unique for its capability to simultaneously detect and image inorganic and organic compounds at the surface of samples, providing access to a rich set of information on paint composition. Dr. Alain Brunelle is Directeur de Recherche in the Laboratoire d'Archéologie Moléculaire et Structurale at the Sorbonne University (Paris, France). His current research efforts are centered on the study cultural heritage samples by submicrometric and 3D TOF-SIMS imaging.