Corrosion patina or intentional patina: Contribution of non-destructive analyses to the surface study of copper based archaeological objects

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses research into the type of intentional patination on archaeological objects. The study of the patinated surface found on various objects of different origins and periods, from ancient Egypt to the Roman Empire, presented in the chapter has shown that it is possible by laboratory non-destructive investigations to obtain a precise physico-chemical description of the surface layers intentionally elaborated for the purpose of coloration. The distinction between intentional patina and pure corrosion products remains a challenge in the general case. The investigation presented in the chapter has been greatly facilitated from that viewpoint by the active collaboration between the authors in charge of the physico-chemical analyses and those (museum curators, conservation–restoration experts) who brought the iconographic, historical, and archaeological insights. The result of that collaboration is that intentional patination and burial corrosion products could be clearly distinguished.