XRF maps in record time in Ursino Castle

During a diagnostic campaign in the Civic Museum of Ursino Castle (Ct), the LNS unit of CHNet performed in just 8 hours an XRF scanning of a 200 × 155 cm painting by the Flemish painter Matthias Stomer (oil on canvas, ca 1640). This was possible thanks to the scanning technique macro XRF (MA-XRF) developed by CHNet-LNS, which is based on a modern real-time technology that allows obtaining the elemental maps of the pigments very quickly, also for large paintings.
The lead white map pointed out a “pentimento” on the face of the “Cristo deriso”, showing the potentialities of the MA-XRF technique in the non-invasive study of the artist’s painting process. The other maps allowed for studying Stomer’s painting technique in achieving his powerful chiaroscuro and play of light.