Urushi lacquer in three Asian artifacts from MAO: comparison between non-invasive and microinvasive analytical...

Area of Science:

• Art Conservation Science
• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Asian lacquerwares are valuable museum artifacts requiring specialized conservation.
• Assessing lacquerware composition is crucial for effective conservation strategies.
• Non-invasive analytical methods are highly desirable for artifact integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the composition and state of Asian lacquer artifacts.
• To identify artistic techniques, lacquer type (urushi), pigments, and restoration materials.
• To evaluate a combined non-invasive and micro-invasive analytical protocol for artifact characterization.

Main Methods:

• In situ non-invasive techniques: optical microscopy, Fiber Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS), and External Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ER-FTIR).
• Micro-invasive methods on detached fragments: micro-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (micro-FTIR), micro-Raman spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC-MS).

Main Results:

• Successfully identified artistic techniques, urushi lacquer, pigments, and other components.
• Distinguished between original materials and later restoration additions.
• Materials analysis provided insights into potential geographic origins of the artifacts.
• The integrated analytical approach proved effective in characterizing the lacquerwares.

Conclusions:

• The study demonstrated the efficacy of combining non-invasive and micro-invasive techniques for comprehensive lacquerware analysis.
• The developed protocol aids in understanding artifact history and informs conservation decisions.
• This approach offers a critical evaluation of analytical methods for Asian lacquer art.