Advances and limitations of 14C dating in the field of heritage sciences

Hendriks, Laura Sharon; Hajdas, Irka; Scherrer, Nadim; Zumbühl, Stefan; Stenger, Jens; Welte, Caroline; Synal, Hans-Arno; Günther, Detlef (2021). Advances and limitations of 14C dating in the field of heritage sciences Technè, 52(52), pp. 111-117. Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France 10.4000/techne.10278

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In heritage sciences, the ability to obtain information about the origin and dating of cultural heritage objects is fundamental for placing an object into its historical context. Radiocarbon (14C) dating can help to identify the period during which a work of art was created by dating its constitutive materials. Such information can, however, only be obtained by removing a sample from the object, which is critical since art is irreplaceable and demands that the sampling be kept to a minimum. In this context, we propose a novel dating approach, which targets the natural organic binder of the pictorial layer as a new 14C candidate. In combination with spectroscopic techniques to ensure suitable sample selection, both canvas and paint samples were dated from three oil paintings. While not authenticating the paintings for belonging to a given artist, the 14C results from the baroque and neoclassical objects tend to align themselves with the purported attribution. The third object, attributed to the beginning of the 20th century’s modern expressionism movements, showcases the challenges in dating the natural organic binder owing to the presence of paraffi n wax. The presented case studies showcase, how 14C dating of the natural organic binder may complement or offer alternate routes of study in assessing an object’s historical context. Moreover, the importance of material studies in the sampling step is enlightened as a prerequisite to access reliable 14C ages.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	Bern Academy of the Arts Bern Academy of the Arts > Institute Materiality in Art and Culture Bern Academy of the Arts > Institute Materiality in Art and Culture > Material analyses
Name:	Hendriks, Laura Sharon; Hajdas, Irka; Scherrer, Nadim0000-0002-6576-885X; Zumbühl, Stefan0000-0002-8896-2938; Stenger, Jens; Welte, Caroline; Synal, Hans-Arno and Günther, Detlef
Subjects:	C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CE Technical chronology. Calendar N Fine Arts > ND Painting Q Science > QC Physics
ISSN:	2534-5168
Publisher:	Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France
Language:	English
Submitter:	Nadim Scherrer
Date Deposited:	27 Apr 2022 10:58
Last Modified:	26 May 2024 01:36
Publisher DOI:	10.4000/techne.10278
Related URLs:	Publication
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Radiocarbon, micro-samples, paintings, oil on canvas, organic binder, analytical chemistry, FTIR spectroscopy
ARBOR DOI:	10.24451/arbor.16800
URI:	https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/16800