Real-time MA-XRF imaging spectroscopy of the Virgin with the Child painted by Antonello de Saliba in 1497

The 15th century painting marked a transition in the pictorial technique due to the introduction of oil painting. Antonello de Saliba is a remarkable Sicilian painter that helped to disseminate this technique in Southern Italy. In this work, we present and discuss the technical examination of the Virgin with the Child, a wood panel painted by de Saliba in 1497 and on view at the Castello Ursino Museum in Catania (Italy). The painting was investigated in situ by the use of a novel MA-XRF fast scanner allowing a real-time imaging of the chemical elements characterizing the pigments in the painting. Results allowed us to better elucidate the palette of the artist and its painting technique. The presence of restorations has been evidenced as well and correlated to different interventions occurred over the time.