Scanning XRF investigation of a Flower Still Life and its underlying composition from the collection of the Kroller-Muller Museum

The analytical aspects of the investigation of 'Flower Still Life' by Vincent van Gogh and its underlying composition, showing two wrestlers by scanning macro-X-ray Fluorescence Analysis (MA-XRF) was reported. In MA-XRF the painting is excited by an X-ray millibeam to emit X-ray fluorescence radiation. Through the energy of the recorded fluorescence radiation the elements present in the analyzed spot can be identified. The painting was mounted on a motor stage behind the normal experimental table and moved continuously through the beam for scanning. The beam size was defined by a set of slits placed at the end of the experimental table. MA-XRF scans were performed with a step size of 1 mm and a dwell time of 3.6 s. The sample was cross-sectioned and examined using high-resolution microscopic methods. The correction of absorption effects in the Zn-maps allowed to remove otherwise misleading artifacts from hidden layers, so that a more realistic impression of the hidden portrait is gained.