CLASSIFICATION OF THE VARIOUS TECHNIQUES OF EXPERTISE APPLIED TO WORKS OF ART
A. Dating methods : allow to determine the age of the objects – or that of their constitutive materials – even if the obtained date is delivered with some degree of error.
• Radiocarbon
• Thermoluminescence
B. Authentication methods : allow to determine whether the objects are or aren’t genuine without the possibility to obtain a precise date
1. Techniques relying on the structure of the materials involved
a. Methods aiming to magnify the surface in order to get more information
• Stereoscopy
• Endoscopy
• Optical microscopy (including metallography)
• Electron microscopy
b. Methods allowing to penetrate into the materials
• Reflectography
• Radiography and scanner
• Gammagraphy
2. Techniques relying on the nature of the materials involved
• X-ray fluorescence (XRF)
• SEM-EDX
• Infrared spectroscopy (IR)
