Analysis of painting Victor Meirelles’ “Passagem de Humaitá” by XRF

Analysis of historical artifacts, it's a multidisciplinary field research known as archaeometry, has expanded greatly in recent years. One the reasons for this expansion was great effort physicists and engineers, who focused on development portable instruments, that allow analyses situ non-destructive these artifacts. The X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) is techniques most used study. In work XRF to analysis artwork "Passagem de Humaitá", by Brazilian painter Victor Meirelles, dated 1872. painting, which dimensions 268 cm x 405 cm, exposed at National Historical Museum located Rio Janeiro. were carried out with system model TRACER IV from Bruker, Rh anode can operate maximum voltage current 40 kV 200 μA. Spectra more than 80 points painting obtained, tube operating 10 μA, spectra collected during 60 seconds. results allowed conclude pigments such vermilion and/or cinnabar [HgS], calcite [CaCO3], zinc white [ZnO], lead [(PbCO3)2·Pb(OH)2], red ocher [Fe2O3], brown umbra [Fe2O3.MnO2].