Non-invasive methods are increasingly used in dendrochronological studies of historical wooden objects, though typically limited to small- and medium-sized items. This study investigated the feasibility of applying computed tomography (CT) to a human-sized wooden artefact. An industrial X-ray 3D CT scanner was used to scan a polychrome statue of Saint Louis (1214–1270), made from Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), measuring 170 × 75 × 35 cm. Due to the object's large size, a resolution of 128 µm was achieved, allowing detection of annual rings as narrow as 0.5 mm and reconstruction of a 111-year ring-width sequence. To extend the chronology, the outermost rings were documented through digital microphotography on an exposed semi-radial surface on the back side of the sculpture—an area inaccessible to CT due to physical constraints. This supplemental analysis provided an additional 117 years, resulting in a combined 228-year series dated to 1501–1728. The sequence shows strong correlation with the Riga Dannenstern House chronology, supporting a timber origin in northeastern Lithuania, southern Latvia, or northern Belarus. The presence of 87 sapwood rings suggests a most probably felling date between 1728 and 1736. The dendrochronological dating challenges earlier hypothesis that attributed the sculpture to the first half of the 17th century or even the 16th century. Moreover, the study demonstrates the effectiveness and practicality of applying industrial X-ray CT to large-scale wooden sculptures, particularly when supplemented by direct ring-width measurements from exposed surfaces.
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号