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Application Notes
Laboratory studies of artifacts have become increasingly common in the last few decades. Archaeologists (both excavators and curators), art historians and conservators have become aware of the importance of analytical studies of these objects for the interpretation, conservation, and restoration of such valuable cultural materials[1–10]. The materials studies usually span the range of metals (bronzes, ferrous alloys, lead, silver, gold), oxide ceramics (pottery, faience, stoneware, porcelain, vitrified materials such as glass, glaze, pâte-de-verre), polymers, and composites. Hence, imaging of artifact microstructure provides invaluable insight for artifacts classification/characterization, better understanding of their manufacturing technologies, and the best conservation approach or treatment method for their preservation. What is particularly important in the study of archaeological and artistic samples is that not only the examination technique(s) have to be non-destructive, but also that, in most cases, a sample cannot be cut, fractured, or altered. This poses tremendous constraints on the analyst in sample choice, preparation, and examination, as illustrated by the example sample studied for these papers[9–10]. Therefore, size, shape, and state of the surface dictate the type of analytical technique and instrument chosen. In this application note a few cases are presented where the Keysight Technologies, Inc. 8500 Low Voltage Scanning Electron Microscope (LV-SEM) was used for a given type of artifact to answer specific questions of interest either to archaeology, art history, or conservation science. The samples included in this study are shown in Figure 1.
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