Hendriks, Laura, Hajdas, Irka, Scherrer, Nadim C., Zumbühl, Stefan, Stenger, Jens, Welte, Caroline, Synal, Hans-Arno, and Günther, Detlef
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 paraffin 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., Technè, 52, ISSN:2534-5168, ISSN:1254-7867