Does Size Matter? Comparing the Alpha-P and the Hyperion for FTIR Paint Analysis

Brooke Wellford Young

In art and architectural conservation since the 1970s, Infrared Spectroscopy is often used to analyze historic pigments and their media. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) was introduced in the 1980s, followed quickly by the development of the Infrared Microscope. Because the configuration of instruments costs over $100,000 with testing samples priced at hundreds of dollars, it is often cost prohibitive for many conservators, consultants and scientists. Recently, a less expensive and smaller FTIR instrument was introduced. At $15,000 the Brucker Alpha-P presents a much more approachable cost. In my thesis I wish to compare the results of the pigment and media analysis made with the Alpha-P, located at the institute of Fine Arts to those made on the much larger and more expensive Hyperion FTIR microscope in the Metropolitan Museum’s Objects Conservation Laboratory. In addition to...