Elemental depth profile of faux bamboo paint in Forbidden City studied by synchrotron radiation confocal μ-XRF

A three-dimensional (3D) analysis of micro x-ray fluorescence (XRF), namely confocal mu-XRF, has been constructed at 4W1B beamline of the Beijing synchrotron radiation facility (BSRF). A KB mirror is applied to focus the incident beam and a polycapillary half-lens in front of the Si(Li) detector is used to limit the visual field of the detector. The faux bamboo paint in Emperor Qianlong's Lodge of Retirement in Forbidden City was analyzed nondestructively by this method. A stratified structure in the paint is disclosed and the results show that the painting; was probably restored once in the past, following the same painting technique as originally used. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.