Jens Stenger, Andrew W. Mellon Post-doctoral Fellow in Conservation
Science at the Straus Center, and Sandra Kelberlau, Paintings
Conservation Intern, used x-ray fluorescence as a preliminary tool to
identify the pigments present in the triptych. This non-interventive
technique uses spectra from the irradiation of small areas with an
x-ray beam. Each element emits characteristic wavelengths. Elements
with a molecular weight below Sodium (Na) are too light for use in
x-ray fluorescence.
