Organic Materials in Art and Archaeology

Men have always used the natural materials around us to produce functional objects and works of art. Paintings and other objects that are part of our cultural heritage, including textiles, books, sculptures, archaeological objects, furniture and the organic residues found in association with them (e.g. cosmetics, medicines, perfumes, food), contain a wide variety of organic materials from natural to synthetic. 

Organic Mass Spectrometry in Art and Archaeology Edited by Maria Perla Colombini and Francesca Modugno 2009 John Wiley Sons, Ltd 

Proteins Egg, milk and casein, animal glue, silk, wool, vegetable proteins (e.g. garlic, beans), human and animal tissues (e.g. mummies) Paint binders, adhesives, textiles, commodities, parchment 

Glycerolipids Animal fats, vegetable oils (e.g. palm oil, olive oil) including drying oils (e.g. linseed, walnut, poppy seed) Paint binders, varnishes, illuminants, commodities, ingredients of cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations 

Waxes Beeswax, spermaceti, Chinese wax, lanolin (animal waxes) carnauba, candelilla, Japan wax, esparto (vegetable waxes) paraffin, ozokerite (fossil waxes) Paint binders, coatings, sealants, writing tablets, ingredients of cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations, sculptures 

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ToF-SIMS is quite a new analytical tool for the study of organic materials from art and archaeological artefacts. Nevertheless, we will see that in the first published studies, its application can cover a great number of subjects and materials. 

Lipid materials and terpenic resins have always been widely exploited in crafts, art, and everyday life, and are the most commonly found organic materials in relation to archaeological artifacts [1,2,4,5,8,29-32], The preservation of these materials is due to their hydrophobic... 

Ribechini, E. (2009) Direct mass spectrometric techniques versatile tools to characterise resinous materials. In Organic Mass Spectrometry in Art and Archaeology, edited by Colombini, M.P., Modugno, F. Chichester, UK John WUey Sons, pp. 77-95. 

Rutledge, S. K., Banks, B. A., Cales, M. (1995). Atomic oxygen treatment for non-contact removal of organic protective coatings from painting surfaces. In J. R. Druzik, J. L. Galvdn Madrid, I. C. Freestone, et al. (Eds.), Materials issues in art and archaeology TV, Cancm, May 16-21, 1994 (pp. 161-166). Materials Research Society. 

Lipids represent a remarkable class among the organic substances found in archaeological remains and works of art. They can derive from many sources, including vegetable oils, animal lipids, and waxes, and they have been used in many different ways in art and everyday activities. Lipid materials have been used extensively by ancient and modern populations as food, illuminants, waterproofing materials, binders, ingredients in medicines, cosmetics and balms. 

Photon activation analysis has primarily been applied in the areas of geo-and cosmochemistry, oceanography, environmental science, industrial raw- and end-product analysis, high-purity material studies, organic material/medical and biological material analysis, forensic science, art and archaeology, certification of candidate reference materials. 

Spatially resolved MS techniques that make use of ionic sources based on direct LDI have been employed to study art and archaeological objects since 2002 [43,44]. However, direct LDI is only effective in the study of a limited range of materials. TTie use of matrices that assist the ionization process induced by MALDI has expanded the applicability of LDI-based MS methods to the field of spatially resolved studies of organic components from works of art. Examples of the applicability of MALDI to the analysis of pigments [45], siccative oils [46], proteinaceous binders [47-49], and varnishes [50] are indeed reported in the literature. A proteomic approach based on the use of MALDI-TOF was also used to identify biological samples taken from the more than 5300-year-old Tyrolean mummy, also called iceman or Oetzi [51]. 

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