Electrochemical analysis of gildings in Valencia altarpieces: a cross-age study since fifteenth until twentieth century, Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry

[EN] The application of the voltammetry of microparticles methodology to the study of gildings in paintings and architectural ornaments is described. Nanosamples from pieces from different churches of the Comunitat Valenciana (Spain) covering since the fifteenth century until nowadays were studied upon attachment to graphite electrodes in contact with aqueous HCl and H2SO4 electrolytes. Electrochemical measurements, combined with field emission scanning electron microscopy X-ray microanalysis (FESEM-EDX) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) data, denoted that a common manufacturing technique was used with minimal variations along time. The relationship between specific voltammetric features associated to bulk gold and active surface sites, however, changed monotonically with time, thus suggesting the possibility of age monitoring.