Use of the MA-XRF Technique in the Authentication of Guignard's Artwork Recovered by the RJ Civil Police

Nilton Thaumaturgo Rocha Junior; Claudia Regina Ferreira de Souza; André Rocha Pimenta; Valter de Souza  Félix; Renato Pereira de Freitas

doi:10.5433/1679-0375.2025.v46.52400

Use of the MA-XRF Technique in the Authentication of Guignard's Artwork Recovered by the RJ Civil Police

Authors

Nilton Thaumaturgo Rocha Junior Instituto de Criminalística Carlos Éboli https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5378-9576
Claudia Regina Ferreira de Souza Instituto de Criminalística Carlos Éboli
André Rocha Pimenta Instituto Federal do Rio de janeiro https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5492-3009
Valter de Souza Félix Instituto Federal do Rio de janeiro https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7090-6321
Renato Pereira de Freitas Instituto Federal do Rio de Janeiro https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6011-0920

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0375.2025.v46.52400

Keywords:

artwork authentication, MA-XRF technique, forensic art analysis

Abstract

Artworks are frequently implicated in the commission of crimes of money laundering, fraud, corruption and robbery/theft. On August 10, 2022, Operação Sol Poente (Operation Setting Sun), launched by the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro, recovered seventeen artworks stolen from the Boghici Collection. Among them was the Menino [Boy] (1935), by Guignard. For this reason, forensic examinations were conducted to verify the authenticity of the recovered artworks. Therefore, macro X-ray fluorescence scanning (MA-XRF) was employed as a portable and non-invasive technique to obtain elemental maps of the chemical composition present in the paint layers. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the potential of the MA-XRF technique in the context of a high-profile criminal investigation. Elemental mapping was conducted using the portable MA-XRF system, model CRONO (Bruker), on both the authenticated and unauthenticated artworks. The resulting elemental distributions exhibited significant similarities, indicating consistency in the materials and techniques used in their production. These results indicate similarities in the creation process and materials of the paintings. Although the authentication of artworks remains a complex and multidisciplinary process, the results of this study underscore the value of MA-XRF as a forensic tool capable of providing valuable insights in the resolution of forensic cases.

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Author Biographies

Nilton Thaumaturgo Rocha Junior, Instituto de Criminalística Carlos Éboli

Carlos Éboli Institute of Forensic Science, General Department of Forensic and Scientific Police, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Claudia Regina Ferreira de Souza, Instituto de Criminalística Carlos Éboli

Carlos Éboli Institute of Forensic Science, General Department of Forensic and Scientific Police, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

André Rocha Pimenta, Instituto Federal do Rio de janeiro

Laboratory of Instrumentation and Computational Simulation, LISCOMP/IFRJ-CPAR, 26600-000, Paracambi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Valter de Souza Félix, Instituto Federal do Rio de janeiro

Laboratory of Instrumentation and Computational Simulation, LISCOMP/IFRJ-CPAR, 26600-000, Paracambi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Renato Pereira de Freitas, Instituto Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Laboratory of Instrumentation and Computational Simulation, LISCOMP/IFRJ-CPAR, 26600-000, Paracambi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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