Gold leafs in 14th century Florentine painting

Abstract

Gold leafs are typically present in paintings and frescoes of the Italian Renaissance in the 13th and 14th centuries. The chemical composition and thickness of gold leafs provide important information toward a better understanding of the technology of that epoch. The present paper discusses the results of non-destructive analysis carried out with a portable energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) equipment on the 14th century panel Annunciation with Saints Catherine of Alexandria, Anthony Abbot, Proculus and Francis by the painter Lorenzo Monaco.