A PXRF and TXRF study of The Portrait of a young gentleman (1539), by Lucas Cranach the Elder

摘要

Lucas Cranach the Elder is one of the most important German painters of the XV and XVI centuries. It is presented and discussed the technical examination of The Portrait of a Young Gentleman, a wood panel from the collection of Sao Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) painted by Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1539. In situ PXRF and laboratory TXRF were employed for the elemental characterization of the pigments. The results allowed us to characterize the materials present in the original painting as well as in past interventions. Among the obtained results, some of the original materials identified were Lead White, Chalk, Bone Black, White Vitriol, Azurite, Vermilion and earthy pigments, such as Red, Yellow and Brown Ochres.