Affiliation:
1. Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, SP n°8, 09042 Monserrato, CA, Italy
Abstract
The degradation of cadmium yellow in paintings is influenced by various factors, primarily environmental conditions and light exposure. Applying a thin protective layer of linseed oil on the surface could help mitigate these processes. Linseed oil, being a natural material, acts as a barrier against harmful atmospheric agents like moisture and oxygen, which contribute to the degradation of pigments including cadmium yellow. Additionally, linseed oil reduces direct light exposure, thereby lowering the risk of fading and color alteration. In this study, we explored the degradation of cadmium pigments mixed with oil and applied on canvas. We elucidated how the use of a binder prevents the direct oxidation of the pigment, inducing artificial degradation by irradiating samples with UVA (365 nm) and UVC (250 nm) sources. By employing various spectroscopic techniques such as three-dimensional fluorescence mapping (PLE) and Raman, along with colorimetric analysis, we gained a comprehensive understanding of the degradation process, particularly when linseed oil serves as a protective layer.
Reference38 articles.
1. Leone, B., Burnstock, A., Jones, C., Hallebeek, P., Boon, J.J., and Keune, K. (2005, January 12–16). The deterioration of cadmium sulphide yellow artists’ pigments. Proceedings of the 14th Triennial Meeting, Hague, The Netherlands. ICOM Committee for Conservation: Preprints.
2. Characterization of a degraded cadmium yellow (CdS) pigment in an oil painting by means of synchrotron radiation based X-ray techniques;Dik;Anal. Chem.,2009
3. Cadmium Pigments;Cited;Nature,1939
4. Hawleyite, isometric cadmium sulphide, a New Mineral;Traill;Am. Mineral.,1955
5. Experimental band structure of cadmium sulfide;Stoffel;Phys. Rev. B.,1983