Using XRF to uncover the secrets of three Irish chalices

It unfolded like an episode of Antiques Roadshow complete with a gasp-inducing reveal. The owners of a metal cup stored for years in a garden outbuilding sought an evaluation from experts at Duke’s Fine Art Auctioneers. The mystery metal cup was actually a silver liturgical chalice judged by Duke’s experts as ‘something special which needed further research’. Forensic examinations of art and artefacts can provide historical insight, plus assist experts in separating fakes from genuine articles. Whether auction house or courthouse, three attribution tools are often relied on to authenticate art and artefacts – connoisseurship, provenance and scientific analysis.