IDENTIFICATION OF FORGED WORKS OF ART BY PORTABLE

The study of patrimonial works by non-destructive techniques has wakened up great interest because they allow the analysis of unique pieces without attempting their integrity. The Archaeometry Unit of the Institut de Ciència dels Materials of the Universitat de València (ICMUV) has carried out EDXRF analyses for the identification of forged works of art using portable instrumentation. In this work, we present two applied examples of works that were atribuited to Joaquín Sorolla. The comparison of the EDXRF spectra of these works with a data base, which contains the spectra and compositions of more than 50 well-known originals, gives evidences to detect fakes. In addition to the detection of forged works of art, EDXRF may help to obtain information of the art pieces that could be important to determine its value. For instance, the knowlededge of the degree of originality is very important. Although the authententicity of the work can be clear, it could have been degraded and repainted or rebuilt. The EDXRF technique can help to distinguish between the original parts of the works and latter modifications. Another application is the obtention of technological information about the process of making the work of art and the state of preservation. Finally, we will describe the method and an example of the reconstruction of the original tonality of some degraded regions in paintings from the comparison of their chemical composition with those of some produced patterns