PIXE analyses of pigments in eighteenth-century furniture and interior painting

The original layers of paint on Swedish and Finnish furniture and interior decoration of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century were studied so that their original character could be preserved during restoration. A cyclotron was used for particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis. The common light layer on furniture of this time was found to be a lead-based paint applied on the plain wood. In the early nineteenth century zinc white was gradually introduced. PIXE analysis proved to be an outstanding method for evaluating relative concentrations of contaminants. Die use of comparative indices instead of absolute concentrations appears to be justified for cost-benefit reasons. The application of the method to four chairs, a Mora grandfather clock and a door moulding is presented.