A non-destructive testing method for the production technique of gilded ornamentation in a traditional house: XRF analysis method

Gold, with its thousands of years of history, has been used across different geographies and with various techniques, carrying diverse meanings beyond being just a metal. Similarly, a variety of techniques can be observed in the production of gold imitation. In cultural heritage buildings, determining whether such ornaments are made of real gold and identifying the production technique are crucial for making correct decisions in restoration. The knowledge and experience of craftsmen can be utilized to determine the content and production technique of the ornamentation in a cultural heritage building; however, this empirical approach is unscientific and prone to error. This study is unique and valuable as it provides information based on definitive results through an analytical and scientific approach. The material of this study is a gilded ornamentation from a traditional house in Sivas. XRF (X-rays fluorescence) analysis method was employed to understand the elemental analysis and production technique of gilded ornamentation. The aim of this study is to determine both the production technique and the elemental structure of the material through XRF analysis of the gilded ornamentation. The absence of gold in the analysis indicates that the gilding was not produced from original gold but is an imitation. When evaluating the gilding imitation techniques, the concentration of copper and zinc elements indicates that the imitation gilding was produced from a brass alloy. The zinc/copper ratio was found to match the ratio used to achieve a gold-like color. Additionally, when other techniques used for gold imitation were evaluated, the absence or trace amounts of other elements excluded those techniques. Consequently, this study presents a new approach to the literature by demonstrating the applicability of modern, non-destructive, contactless techniques like XRF analysis to the science of conservation and restoration.