Thomas Calligaro

• Dr
• Senior Researcher at Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des musées de France

Generalmente, los estudios sobre la obsidiana se han centrado en su procedencia, pero no exploran mucho las rutas de su transporte. Las excavaciones arqueológicas, realizadas en Tamtoc y sus sitios periféricos, han arrojado numerosos bloques, núcleos y herramientas talladas en obsidianas color negra y verde. Su análisis por el método PIXE confirma...

En este trabajo hablaremos de la procedencia de los objetos de obsidiana que hemos recuperado durante los trabajos arqueológicos en Tamtoc y algunos sitios periféricos como Rancho Aserradero y Los Sabinos A. Los artefactos de obsidiana de color negra y verde fueron analizados mediante la técnica PIXE con el acelerador de partículas AGLAE del Centre...

History and study of the material from the grave of Childeric I in Tournai

Gas optical emission enhanced by solid initiator (GENS) is designed to support the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique for studying the impact of intense radiation beams on cultural heritage materials. GENS-LIBS generates plasma in the atmosphere using a metal target, which increases sensitivity while lowering laser irradiance. Th...

This research relies on microscopy and digital microscopy observations and spectral analysis techniques: Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), to recover part of the lost identity of two pyrite (FeS 2) cones. Conserved in Paris, at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN),...

La recherche sur les pratiques picturales de Léonard de Vinci a bénéficié d’une nouvelle technique d’analyse non invasive devenue, par le biais des développements informatiques, une technique d’imagerie : la cartographie de fluorescence X. Les apports de cette technique seront illustrés à partir d’exemples nous informant sur la genèse des œuvres, l...

Collecter des informations chimiques sur les matériaux employés par Léonard de Vinci permet de mieux comprendre la matérialité de ses pratiques picturales et fournit de nouvelles informations pouvant contribuer à la conservation de ses œuvres. Mais les peintures de Léonard sont des systèmes chimiques complexes, assemblages hybrides de pigments miné...

UV–Vis-induced luminescence techniques are commonly employed by conservators and restorers to examine cultural heritage objects in a non-invasive manner. Many chemical components in artworks show luminescent emission, which can be used for both diagnostic and conservative purposes. The emission spectrum and lifetime are precious indicators of the f...

La campagne d’analyses par la technique Particule-Induced X-ray Emission menée sur la lentille d’obsidienne n°176.101 des collections de minéralogie du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris a démontré qu’elle avait été taillée dans de l’obsidienne extraite du gisement équatorien de Mullumica (voir Revue de Gemmologie n°220). Suite à cette i...

The burial of the Merovingian King Childeric I († 481–482), father of Clovis I (481–482/511), was accidentally unearthed in 1653 in Tournai (Belgium), near the church of Saint-Brice. The present chapter gives the historical details of the discovery and subsequent vicissitudes, and presents the results of recent investigations on the garnets of the...

Scanning x-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF), Reflectance Imaging Spectroscopy (RIS) and Luminescence Imaging Spectroscopy (LIS) are scientific methods extensively used in the investigation of artworks in Cultural Heritage Science. Nevertheless, these three highly complementary imaging methods have never been implemented in a single instrument. In this pap...

This 16 th edition is a particular one that is held at Paris for its 30 th anniversary. The Local Organizing Committee is proud to organize the conference for this particular occasion and extends a warm welcome to all the participants, contributors, partners and exhibitors. Scope The biannual Quantitative InfraRed Thermography (QIRT) Conference is...

Photoluminescence (PL) undermonochromatic illumination in theUV-Vis-NIR (200–1000 nm), and Reflectance Imaging Spectroscopy (RIS) in the visible and near-infrared domain (NIR, 700–1000 nm) are well-established techniques which usefully complements X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) in the study of paintworks. PL under UV illumination allows the...

Historical paintings with important iconographical changes represent an analytical challenge. Considering the case study of a fifteenth-century French painting studied during its restoration, the efficiency of a combined noninvasive approach of two-dimensional scanning macro-X-ray fluorescence imaging (MA-XRF) and a laboratory-based depth-resolved...

Photoluminescence (PL) under monochromatic illumination in the UV-Vis-NIR (200–1000 nm), and Reflectance Imaging Spectroscopy (RIS) in the visible and near-infrared domain (NIR, 700–1000 nm) are well-established techniques which usefully complements X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) in the study of paintworks. PL under UV illumination allows th...

Most inorganic pigments, as earths and ochres, have no luminescence emission. Sporadically, the literature has reported the presence of a weak optical emission for some of these pigments. However, this should be attributed to the presence of material impurities within pigments. In addition to this, a small number of inorganic pigments exhibit a cle...

Active infrared thermography has demonstrated an ability to retrieve critical sub-surface level information relevant to historical conservation efforts aiming to better understand and preserve multi-layered panel paintings. Complementary use of two Telops infrared cameras (Mid and Long Wave IR), a pulsed thermography system, and pulsed phase thermo...

Active thermography was used as a multispectral non-destructive approach for characterisation of multi-layered panel paintings and analysis of their defects caused by aging and environmental effects. Two oil compositions painted on canvas, provided by C2RMF in the Louvre museum (Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France) were unde...

Cet article rapporte l’étude des grenats ornant des objets mérovingiens en style cloisonné conservés au département des Monnaies, médailles et antiques de la Bibliothèque nationale de France et au musée des Beaux- Arts et d’archéologie de Troyes. La composition chimique des grenats a été déterminée in situ et sans contact par fluorescence de rayons...

Transparent materials like gemstones tint easily under photon or electron irradiation. During PIXE analyses, a high current proton beam can cause irreversible damage on a white paper sample (degradation of cellulose chains and oxidation processes); in extreme cases the paper will structurally collapse. In opaque materials, such as polychrome layers...

Non-destructive characterization of decorated porcelain artifacts requires the joint use of surface-analytical methods for the decorative surface pattern and methods of high penetration depth for bulk-representative chemical composition. In this research, we used position-sensitive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF) and Prompt-gamma activation a...

Cet article présente la typologie du flaconnage de parfumerie découvert dans l'épave du Casimir. Ce brick de commerce havrais fit naufrage le 27 avril 1829 sur la côte septentrionale d'Haïti (aujourd'hui située en République Dominicaine). l'étude morphométrique des contenants, pots en faïence et flacons en verre, est enrichie de l'analyse vibration...

There is a considerable interest in developing new analytical tools to fight the illicit trafficking of heritage goods and particularly of easel paintings, whose high market values attract an ever-increasing volume of criminal activities. The objective is to combat the illicit traffic of smuggled or forged paintworks and to prevent the acquisition...

The carbon content distribution of ferrous archaeological artefacts in a quantitative way allows us to understand the nature of the materials. Our previous works have ever proved that the use of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) could be an efficient method to solve problems of in situ analysis and offer a high spatial resolution. To asse...

Scientific investigation in the cultural heritage field is generally aimed at the characterization of the constituent materials and the conservation status of artworks. Since the 1990s, reflectance spectral imaging proved able to map pigments, reveal hidden details and evaluate the presence of restorations in paintings. Over the past two decades, h...

At the European recent Prehistory variscite was a precious gemmological material that appears in scarce megalithic burials of the Atlantic facade, especially at the Iberian peninsula and West France. Here we describe the main results of the mineralogical and geochemical analysis of a great and diverse group of archaeological and geological variscit...

We report the development of a 3D positioner for the elemental mapping of non-flat surfaces of heritage targets and its implementation in the external beam of the AGLAE accelerator, a joint research activity of the IPERION-CH European program. The positioner operates in two steps: 1) object surface is digitized using a 3D scanner implemented in the...

La micro-fluorescence de rayons x en mode confocal (CXRF) est d’un intérêt considérable pour les sciences du patrimoine en raison de sa capacité à fournir des informations résolues spatialement sur la composition chimique du matériel analysé de manière non-invasive. Le défi consiste à déterminer la séquence stratigraphique de matériaux multicouches...

Le présent chapitre fait le point sur l’analyse par fluorescence de rayons X (XRF) à l’aide d’instruments portables (p-XRF). Du fait de ses nombreux avantages, notamment des performances analytiques attractives combinées à une apparente facilité de mise en oeuvre, cette méthode s’est rapidement répandue dans le milieu de l’archéométrie. Cependant,...

L’existence à l’époque gréco-romaine d’un grand commerce, principalement maritime mais aussi terrestre, entre le monde indien et la Méditerranée est bien attestée par les textes ainsi que par des indices archéologiques, davantage, en ce qui concerne ces derniers, pour l’Inde que pour l’Occident (Suresh, 2004, 2007). Néanmoins, les sources écrites p...

747 perles et pendeloques en callaïs sur les 841 connues actuellement provenant de 27 occupations néolithiques de la moitié nord de la France ont été analysées par PIXE, afin de déterminer leur nature minéralogique et leur provenance. La grande majorité de ces éléments de parure est concentrée autour du golfe du Morbihan, dans la région de Carnac (...

747 perles et pendeloques en callaïs sur les 841 connues actuellement provenant de 27 occupations néolithiques de la moitié nord de la France ont été analysées par PIXE, afin de déterminer leur nature minéralogique et leur provenance. La grande majorité de ces éléments de parure est concentrée autour du golfe du Morbihan, dans la région de Carnac (...

Depuis sa création jusqu’à son altération, la vie d’une œuvre d’art ou d’un objet archéologique s’inscrit au cœur de sa matière. L’enjeu des sciences du patrimoine est d’interroger cette matière sur l’activité des hommes, tout en préservant ces témoins de notre histoire. Retrouver les savoir-faire du passé, comprendre le choix des matériaux employé...

At the European recent Prehistory variscite was a precious gemmological material that appears in scarce megalithic burials of the Atlantic facade, especially at the Iberian peninsula and West France. Here we describe the main results of the mineralogical and geochemical analysis of a great and diverse group of archaeological and geological variscit...

This study is a multi-technique investigation of the Paris carbonaceous chondrite directly applied on two selected 500 × 500 µm² areas of a millimetric fragment, without any chemical extraction. By mapping the partial hydration of the amorphous silicate phase dominating the meteorite sample matrix, infrared spectroscopy gave an interesting glimpse...

*Computational Nuclear Physics *Applied Nuclear Physics *Reactor Technology *Accelerator Physics *Radiation Physics and Radiation Protection *Nuclear Application in Life Sciences *Radiation Measurement and Radiation Dosimetry *Nuclear Astrophysics *Nuclear Energy *Nuclear Reactions *Medical Physics *Health Physics *Radiopharmaceuticals *Luminescenc...

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis of carbonaceous, volcanic, tidal sediments from the 3.33 Ga-old Josefsdal Chert (Kromberg Formation, Barberton Greenstone Belt), documents the presence of two types of insoluble organic matter (IOM): (1) IOM similar to that previously found in Archean cherts from numerous other sedimentary rocks in the...

Since at least 1742, the mineralogical collection of the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN) in Paris has hosted under the reference number 22.U a biconvex lens-shaped obsidian artifact, also described as a mirror, measuring 250 mm in diameter and finely polished on both faces. It has usually been ascribed to the shipment sent by Hernán Cor...

Since at least 1742, the mineralogical collection of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN) in Paris has hosted, under the reference number 22.U, a biconvex lens-shaped obsidian artifact, also described as a mirror, measuring 250 mm in diameter and finely polished on both faces. It has usually been ascribed to the shipment sent by Hernán C...

Recent archaeological investigations (2009-2016) in the Sistema 7 Venado, a ceremonial complex located on the south part of the Monte Albán hill, Oaxaca, Mexico, demonstrates that occupation and ceremonial activity on the site can be traced back until 800 BCE. Around 200-300 CE, this site was ritually abandoned and its structures covered by a thick...

Mise en évidence de la polychromie métallique des statuettes de Bavay par cartographie de fluorescence X, p. 196-197, in Nouveaux regards sur le Trésor des bronzes de Bavay

Aux Ve et VIe siècles, le style cloisonné caractérise tout l’Occident, de la Mer Noire au monde insulaire britannique et de la Scandinavie à l’Afrique du Nord, qu’il s’agisse de décors de poignées et de fourreaux d’épées et de scramasaxes, d’objets de parure ou d’accessoires vestimentaires. On a pu démontrer de longue date que les incrustations rou...

Traditional “stack “manufacturing process (16–19th c.) of lead white pigment by lead corrosion is explored by exposing metal to acetic acid, carbon dioxide, dioxygen and water vapor. Global reaction scheme is revealed, along with stratification of corrosion products with CO2 gradient, leading to flakiness of corrosion layer. Kinetic and epitaxial f...

In the frame work of multi-elemental analysis, we have used the X-ray fluorescence technique (XRF) for simultaneous determination of the elements present in samples of ancient pottery shards of the romans ruins of Tipaza and Tamentfoust archaeological site near Algiers, ALGERIA. The XRF technique is used because it is non-destructive and offers the...

Hair is a powerful bioindicator used in toxicological and environmental studies since it can incorporate toxic elements during its growth. As part of a project on the characterization of mummy hair, elemental analyses by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) were carried out using the AGLAE accelerator from the C2RMF. The objective was to detect t...

Quentin Lemasson, Brice Moignard, Claire Pacheco, Laurent Pichon, Thomas Calligaro, et al.. IBA and VIS-NIR- spectroscopic mappings applied to the analysis of cultural heritage artefacts: last improviments on the AGLAE facility. TECHNART 2017 "Non-destructive and microanalytical techniques in art and cultural heritage", May 2017, Bilbao, Spain. ⟨ha...

Micro-samples collected on 28 major paintings by Old European Masters dating from the Middle Ages to the late 19th c. were analyzed using Synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction. Two complementary analytical configurations were used at beamlines ID22 (high-angle resolution) and ID21 (high lateral resolution), in order to highlight markers of the differ...

Analytical techniques using proton beams with energy in the MeV range are commonly used to study archeological artefact and artistic objects. However ion beams can induce alteration of fragile materials, which is notably the case of easel paintings, limiting the use of these techniques. We used continuous wave EPR and pulse EPR spectroscopy to reve...

Despite that the Badakhshan Province (Afghanistan) remains the most plausible hypothesis for the lapis lazuli used in antiquity, alternatives proposed in literature are worth to study to confirm or disprove their historical reliability. In this work, a protocol for determining the provenance of lapis lazuli rocks used for carved artefacts is descri...

The lead white pigment, composed of two main mineral phases cerussite PbCO3 and hydrocerussite 2PbCO3.Pb(OH)2, has been used in paintings since the Antiquity. The study of historical sources revealed that a large variety of lead white qualities were proposed, depending on the degree of sophistication of the pigment synthesis. Investigation of photo...

The archaeological site of Arikamedu, located in Tamil Nadu State on the east coast of India, was the centre for many centuries of a significant bead-producing industry. Beads were made of both glass and stone, including garnet, but the source of the garnet rough material has not been confirmed. To probe this question, garnet beads found at Arikame...

Cet article présente la typologie du flaconnage de parfumerie découvert dans l’épave du Casimir. Ce brick de commerce havrais fit naufrage le 27 avril 1829 sur la côte septentrionale d’Haïti (aujourd’hui située en République Dominicaine). L’étude morphométrique des contenants, pots en faïence et flacons en verres, est enrichie de l’analyse vibratio...

Un Luxembourgeois, deux obsidiennes, des volcans et des mines. Détermination chimique par accélérateur de particules (PIXE, Louvre) de l’origine gîtologique de deux armatures en obsidienne inédites collectées au Mexique au milieu du XIXe siècle par le Luxembourgeois François Majerus (1819-1887).

The painting L’Homme blessé by Gustave Courbet kept at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris has been recently studied by X-ray radiography, SEM–EDX observation of paint cross sections and confocal micro-X-ray fluorescence analyses (CXRF) at locations where the cross section samples were taken. This study allowed the establishment of the paint palette used by...

L’accélérateur de particules AGLAE du C2RMF a eu un rôle majeur dans l’émergence du projet européen Eu-ARTECH. Après un bref rappel des propriétés des méthodes d’analyse par faisceau d’ions, la spécificité d’AGLAE est soulignée. Les activités impliquant l’accès transnational (TNA) à cette installation sont alors présentées, révélant la grande diver...

Native American quillwork collections remain little studied due to the limited availability of quillwork material for sampling. In this paper we explore the use of non-invasive Particle Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) and Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) to characterise metallic residues in a set of modern porcupine quills prepared with a...

Native American quillwork collections remain little studied due to the limited availability of quillwork material for sampling. In this paper we explore the use of non-invasive Particle Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) and Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) to characterise metallic residues in a set of modern porcupine quills prepared with a...

Non-European dyed materials other than textiles have received comparatively little systematic analysis, this is particularly true for objects made with dyed porcupine quills. This paper presents a comprehensive study of a group of Athapaskan porcupine quill specimens collected in 1862 which are held within the collections of National Museums Scotla...

The Indo-French research program ‘Siwaliks’ has been surveying the Late Pliocene Formation of the Chandigarh anticline (NW India) since 2008. These sub-Himalayan floodplain deposits are known for their Tertiary-Quaternary transitional fauna, especially those from the Quranwala zone in the Masol Formation, whose basal member is approximately 130 met...

The Siwaliks came to be known worldwide since the discovery in 1830 of a great ape in the Miocene molasses of the Potwar. One century later, pebble tools, flakes and handaxes attracted Prehistorians. A re-reading of the Yale-Cambridge Expedition in India (1935), during which Ramapithecus brevirostris was discovered, reveals that stone tools were di...

The Indo-French research program ‘Siwaliks’ has been surveying the Late Pliocene Formation of the Chandigarh anticline (NW India) since 2008. These sub-Himalayan floodplain deposits are known for their Tertiary-Quaternary transitional fauna, especially those from the Quranwala zone in the Masol Formation, whose basal member is approximately 130 met...

Notes on the Garnets Used by Early Medieval Western European Goldsmiths Since 1999 more than 4000 garnets dating the Merovingian period have been studied through non-destructive chemical analyses, conducted with the AGLAE particle accelerator of the Grand Louvre using PIXE methodology and a RAMAN probe. These archaeological garnets, coming from col...

Scanning XRF is a powerful elemental imaging technique introduced at the synchrotron that has recently been transposed to laboratory. The growing interest in this technique stems from its ability to collect images reflecting pigment distribution within large areas on artworks by means of their elemental signature. In that sense, scanning XRF appear...