Paints on surfaces of public playground structures in South West England have been analysed for Pb, Cr, Cd and Sb by field-portable, energy-dispersive XRF. Lead was detected (>8 μg g(-1)) in 102 out of 242 cases, with concentrations ranging from 10 to 152,000 μg g(-1) (median=451 μg g(-1)). Chromium was detected (>25 μg g(-1)) in 48 cases, and concentrations ranged from 26 to 24,800 μg g(-1) (m...

Painters often acquire a deep empirical knowledge of the way in which paints and inks behave. Through experimentation and practice, they can control the way in which fluids move and deform to create textures and images. David Alfaro Siqueiros, a recognized Mexican muralist, invented an accidental painting technique to create new and unexpected textures. By pouring layers of paint of different c...

The lack of comprehensive studies on silver paints in manuscripts is a handicap to new stabilization strategies and treatments. This work develops and tests a methodological approach for the study of the degradation of silver paints, at the molecular level, using as a case study a French Book of Hours dated from the 15th century from Mafra National Palace collection. In this paper, we show that...