Instrumental study of gilding in the Genoese architecture and decoration of XVII-XIX century (Metadata RADIATE TA Proposal 21002424-ST)

Proposal title "Instrumental study of gilding in the Genoese architecture and decoration of XVII-XIX century". Measurements carried out at the external beam set-up for cultural heritage of the INFN LABEC accelerator laboratory, from 21 till 24 September 2021. Hands-on mode.

A total of 64 points or millimetric linear scans have been measured by PIXE and RBS with 3 MeV protons in atmosphere with Helium flush. Samples were either reference gold leafs laid on wood by a mordant or a bolo clay or glass and metal standards or, finally, original XVI century gilded wood pieces. The purpose was to measure the gold thickness in reference materials to be able to calibrate subsequently an XRF portable system to measure gold leafs in situ with portable instruments. Secondly we aimed at understanding the kind of gilding used in the ancient pieces and exploring the possibility of detecting trace elements in gold.