Differential PIXE measurements for the stratigraphic analysis of the painting <i>Madonna dei fusi</i> by Leonardo da Vinci

Abstract

Abstract Traditional PIXE does not provide information about the layered structure that is characteristic of wood and canvas paintings. In such cases, a solution to discriminate the depth sequence of elements within the analysed sample is to use differential PIXE, i.e. by measuring on the same spot with different beam energies. At the Florence accelerator, laboratory differential PIXE measurements were performed on the wood painting Madonna dei fusi (ex‐Redford version, 1501) by Leonardo da Vinci, in the framework of an extensive project aimed at discovering the ‘secrets’ of the painting and drawing techniques of the artist. The analysis allowed us to characterize the pigments and the substrate composition. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.