Microfade Spectrometry (MFT)
The ISAAC mobile lab has an in-house developed MFT instrument which is used for automated in situ lightfastness measurements on artworks. This is achieved by monitoring the reflectance spectra and colour while fading a tiny sub-mm spot at high light intensity. The instrument works in retro-reflection mode.
In-house built microfade spectrometer
applications of Microfade spectrometry
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evidence-based risk assessments for the display of light-sensitive artworks.
isaac instrumentation
System
ISAAC
Microfade
Developer
ISAAC Lab
Spot Size
~ 0.5 x 0.8 mm
Spectral
Range
400- 700 nm
Service
MOLAB /
FIXLAB
example heritage science projects
selected publications
This is a selection of our Microfade Spectrometry publications. Our full publication list can be found here.
Kogou, S., Lucian, A., Bellesia, S., Burgio, L., Bailey, K., Brooks, C. and Liang, H., 2015. A holistic multimodal approach to the non-invasive analysis of watercolour paintings. Applied Physics A. ISSN 0947-8396
Liang, H., Burgio, L., Bailey, K., Lucian, A., Bellesia, S., Cheung, C. and Brookes, C., 2014. Culture And Trade Through the Prism of Technical Art History: A Study of Chinese Export Paintings. Studies In Conservation, 59 (1). https://doi.org/10.1179/204705814X13975704318272
Liang, H., Lange, R., Lucian, A., Hyndes, P., Townsend, J.H. and Hackney, S., 2011. Development of Portable Microfading Spectrometers for Measurement of Light Sensitivity of Materials. In: International Council of Museums, Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC) Triennial Conference, Lisbon, 2011, Lisbon. ISBN 978-989-97522-0-7
Lerwill, A., Townsend, J.H., Liang, H., Thomas, J. and Hackney, S., 2008. A Portable Microfading Spectrometer for Versatile Lightfastness Testing. E-Preservation Science (5), pp. 17-28. ISSN: 1581-9280 (web edition)
Lerwill, A., Townsend, J.H., Liang, H., Hackney, S. and Thomas, J., 2007. A Versatile Microfadometer for Lightfastness Testing and Pigment Identification. Proceedings of SPIE, 6618, 66181g https://doi.org/10.1117/12.726029