PIXE measurements of Renaissance silverpoint drawings at VERA

Abstract Silverpoint drawings from the Renaissance are among the most precious and rarest treasures of graphical art. Our research group is particularly interested in the analysis of silverpoint drawings by Albrecht Durer (1471–1528). A very sensitive and non-destructive analytical method, either spatially resolved synchrotron-radiation induced X-ray fluorescence (SY-XRF) or proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), is needed to determine the chemical composition of the very faint silver marks on such drawings. Durer drawings from the collection of the Albertina, Vienna, were analyzed to amend existing data on Durer drawings. For this purpose an external-beam PIXE setup was installed at the Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA). It allows to analyze a spot of ∼0.15 mm on the object in air with 3 MeV protons, and to detect the emitted X-rays that are characteristic for the chemical composition with very good sensitivity and without harming the precious objects. After successful measurements on artificial test samples, four original silverpoint drawings were investigated: two portraits from Albrecht Durer’s very early period (self-portrait and portrait of his father) and two drawings from Durer’s sketch book of his travel to the Netherlands 1520/21.