TOF-SIMS Characterization of Pigments and Binders in “The Martyrdom of st. Catherine” in Zejtun (Malta)

The conservation of cultural heritage objects requires a profound knowledge of materials and technologies used for its production. In this field, the development of combined analytical approaches and the use of completely nondestructive and surface techniques are desirable. Moreover, surface techniques are well suited to study both the composition and the spatial organization of heterogeneous complex mixtures of organic and inorganic matter. In this field, the time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is one of the most successfully applied techniques for the characterization of inorganic and organic components of a wide range of materials. In this paper, ToF-SIMS was used to nondestructively analyze two microsamples of the The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine (a painting attributed to Francesco Cassarino, conserved in the church of Saint Catherine in Zejtun –Malta), showing an innovative approach for the characterization of pigments and binders in paintings.