Investigations into the Application of Terahertz Radiation as a Control Possibility for Paint Layer Consolidations

Terahertz radiation offers a means to monitor the consolidation of paint layers on panel paintings, and to corroborate the efficacy of such treatments. This project aimed to locate air voids underneath paint layers to determine the need to consolidate them, and subsequently to evaluate the success of the consolidation process itself. To this end experiments were carried out on mock-up samples and one original panel painting. Computed tomography was used for comparative testing of terahertz measurements. The results show that terahertz radiation supports the detection of air voids beneath the paint layer and moreover can help to determine the success of the treatment by the change in the reflectance spectra of the consolidated area. However, terahertz radiation cannot be used to identify the consolidation agent as an individual phase and the application of these results to assessments of the condition of panel paintings is less clear. While further research on original works of art is necessary to contextualise the findings, this work nevertheless has shown that terahertz radiation can be effective for monitoring and controlling consolidation treatments.