A small bronze statue from the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki; exploring its authenticity

ABSTRACT This study explores the authentication of a bronze statue by means of the evaluation of technical evidence and investigation of patinas formation. The statue was identified by the police as a product of illicit excavation and handed to the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki. The visual examination reveals technical features that are consistent with those commonly found on ancient bronze statues while the physicochemical character of the corrosion was in accordance with typical bronze corrosion mechanisms (decuprification). Original features like the metal microstructure were detected on the corrosion layers, showing the complexity and long lasting character of their formation. The metal composition was determined by XRF and the corrosion products were analysed by XRF and SEM-EDS. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT