Silver has played its role in art, not as a conventional pigment but primarily in its metallic form, both used as a metal leaf or, more rarely, grounded as powder. This lesson explores silver’s XRF analysis and as an example we discuss daguerreotypes, since this early photographic method was based on silver.
Objectives
- Understand the historical and artistic applications of silver in art.
- Recognize the characteristic XRF lines of silver and their significance.
- Analyze a daguerreotype as a case study for silver’s use in early photography.
Materials
- Sample of pure silver (e.g., silver ring).
- A daguerreotype.
Lesson Plan
- Introduction to Silver in Art
- Discuss silver’s historical use, focusing on silver leaf and the meccatura technique for tone adjustments.
- Explain the rarity of silver as a powdered pigment due to its tendency to tarnish.
- XRF Analysis of Silver
- Present the XRF spectrum of pure silver, highlighting the Kα (22.1 keV) and Kβ (24.9 keV) peaks, as well as the L-series lines.
- Case Study: Daguerreotype Analysis
- Describe the composition of a daguerreotype: a copper support coated with silver.
- Explain the photographic process involving mercury vapors.
