Publications by authors named "Bellot-Gurlet L"

Decorating the living space, objects, body and clothes with colour is a widespread human practice. While the habitual use of red mineral pigments (such as iron-oxide, e.g.

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Skin reactions are well described complications of tattooing, usually provoked by red inks. Chemical characterizations of these inks are usually based on limited subjects and techniques. This study aimed to determine the organic and inorganic composition of inks using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES) and Raman spectroscopy, in a cohort of patients with cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions to tattoo.

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Ancient charcoal fragments, produced by the use of wood as fuel in archaeological contexts or during natural or anthropic forest fires, persist in soil and sediments over centuries to millennia. They thus offer a unique window to reconstruct past climate, especially palaeo-precipitation regimes thanks to their stable carbon isotope composition. However, the initial δC of wood is slightly modified as a function of the carbonisation temperature.

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A multi-analytical study has been undertaken to characterise wall paintings from the al-Qarawiyyin university in Fez, dating back to the 9th century and still in activity, with the aim of identifying the pigments used and going back to the painting techniques adopted by the Moroccan craftsmen of the time. The investigation crossed Raman and ATR-FTIR structural analyses along with XRF elemental ones, as well as colorimetric measurements. The colours and shades of six representative fragments collected during a recent excavation have been examined.

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Characterisation of vegetal colourants in manuscripts is still a challenging task. Their identification using non-invasive techniques - since sampling is rarely possible - is valid only if there is evidence that the recorded signals are generated by compounds specific to the plant species. Otherwise, more extensive chemical characterisations are required to relate the non-invasive technique signals to the chemical composition of the dye extract and thus avoid misidentification.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study analyzed seven 1960s artworks by German and Italian painters using mobile infrared spectroscopy techniques at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome.
  • A methodology combining Specular Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopy (SR-FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy was used to identify different paint compositions from the unvarnished paintings.
  • The findings established effective spectroscopic markers for distinguishing paint binders, confirming the potential of non-invasive infrared techniques in art conservation and analysis.
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The Aurignacian (ca. 43-35 ka) of southwestern Germany is well known for yielding some of the oldest artifacts related to symbolic behaviors, including examples of figurative art, musical instruments, and personal ornaments. Another aspect of these behaviors is the presence of numerous pieces of iron oxide (ocher); however, these are comparatively understudied, likely owing to the lack of painted artifacts from this region and time period.

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Neanderthals are often considered as less technologically advanced than modern humans. However, we typically only find faunal remains or stone tools at Paleolithic sites. Perishable materials, comprising the vast majority of material culture items, are typically missing.

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Article Synopsis
  • Louis Ducos du Huron was a pioneer in color photography, developing physical-chemical processes for three-color printing throughout his life.
  • This study reviewed his published protocols and utilized advanced IR and X-ray microanalysis on fragments from three artworks to analyze his methods.
  • It revealed complex recipes involving various chemicals, confirming the effectiveness of synchrotron spectromicroscopy for studying historical photographs and suggesting its broader application in photographic history.
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Mollusc shells are complex organomineral structures, the arrangement and composition depending on the species. Most studies are dedicated to shells composed of an aragonite nacreous and a calcite prismatic layer, so the nacreous prismatic model based on Pinctada and Atrina-Pinna. Here, we studied the micro- and nanostructure, the mineralogy and composition of a nacroprismatic bivalve species: Unio pictorum.

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Nanoscale studies of bone provide key indicators to evidence subtle structural changes that may occur in the biomedical, forensic and archaeological contexts. One specific problem encountered in all those disciplines, for which the identification of nanostructural cues could prove useful, is to properly monitor the effect of heating on bone tissue. In particular, the mechanisms at work at the onset of heating are still relatively unclear.

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The development of the Azilian in Western Europe 14,000 years ago is considered a "revolution" in Upper Paleolithic Archaeology. One of the main elements of this rapid social restructuring is the abandonment of naturalistic figurative art on portable pieces or on cave walls in the Magdalenian in favor of abstract expression on small pebbles. Recent work shows that the transformation of human societies between the Magdalenian and the Azilian was more gradual.

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Heating stone to enhance its flaking qualities is among the multiple innovative adaptations introduced by early modern human groups in southern Africa, in particular during the Middle Stone Age Still Bay and Howiesons Poort traditions. Comparatively little is known about the role and impact of this technology on early modern human behaviors and cultural expressions, due, in part, to the lack of comprehensive studies of archaeological assemblages documenting the heat treatment of stone. We address this issue through an analysis of the procedure used for heating and a technological analysis of a lithic assemblage recovered from one Howiesons Poort assemblage at Klipdrift Shelter (southern Cape, South Africa).

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Three amidoamines containing the N-hydroxyethyl group (Et), namely (Et)N(CH)C(O)NH (1), [(Et)N(CH)C(O)NH]CH (2) and EtN[(CH)C(O)NH] (3) have been synthesized by reacting diethanolamine EtNH with acrylamide and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (respectively 1 and 2) and ethanolamine EtNH with acrylamide (3). Four other compounds corresponding to 1 and 2, but derived from sec-amines MeNH (4 and 5) and EtNH (6 and 7) have been prepared for the sake of comparison of the spectroscopic features. All compounds have been obtained by the well-known aza-Michael addition between an N-nucleophile and an activated vinyl group.

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Rooted in the long tradition of Raman spectroscopy of cultural heritage materials, in this work we provide a personal perspective on recent applications and new frontiers in sampling modalities, data processing, and instrumentation.

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South Africa has in recent years gained increasing importance for our understanding of the evolution of 'modern human behaviour' during the Middle Stone Age (MSA). A key element in the suite of behaviours linked with modern humans is heat treatment of materials such as ochre for ritual purposes and stone prior to tool production. Until now, there has been no direct archaeological evidence for the exact procedure used in the heat treatment of silcrete.

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The compositions of ancient varnishes are mainly determined destructively by separation methods coupled to mass spectrometry. In this study, a methodology for non-invasive quantitative analyses of varnishes by vibrational spectroscopies is proposed. For that, experimental simplified varnishes of colophony and linseed oil were prepared according to 18th century traditional recipes with an increasing mass concentration ratio of colophony/linseed oil.

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Natural organic substances are involved in many aspects of the cultural heritage field. Their presence in different forms (raw, heated, mixed), with various conservation states, constitutes a real challenge regarding their recognition and discrimination. Their characterization usually involves the use of separative techniques which imply destructive sampling and specific analytical preparations.

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Oriental lacquer has been used in Asian countries for thousands of years as a durable and aesthetic coating material for its adhesive, consolidating, protective and decorative properties. Although these objects are made from an unusual material in Occident, Western museum collections host many lacquerwares. Curators, restorers and scientists are daily confronted with questions of their conservation and their alteration.

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