Letter from Pierre Amiet with the results of analyses by the Louvre's Oriental Antiquities department on a silver statuette AO 15733Pierre Amiet

The analyses of the two parts were carried out by X-ray microfluorescence spectrometry on surfaces of 0,03 mm[handwritten: 2]. 1- Gold of the belt The quantitative analysis by X-ray microfluorescence at two points gives the following average results: Au = 78,90 p. cent Ag = 20,10 p. cent Cu = 0,95 p. cent It is therefore a gold containing about 20 p. cent silver. Emission spectrometry analysis showed that the gold also contains faint traces of Fe, Mg, Al, Cr, Ca, Sn, Ni, Sr, Pt and Pb. 2- Gold of the necklace The quantitative analysis by X-ray microfluorescence carried out at two points gives the following average results: Au = 49,3 p. cent Ag = 49,1 p. cent Cu = 1,1 p. cent It is therefore a gold-silver mixture in roughly equal parts. Emission spectrometry analysis showed that the metal also contains bismuth and faint traces of Fe, Mg, Al, Cr, Ba, Ca, Mn, Si, Sn, Pb, Ni, Zn, Sr, Sb, Pt.

The statuette is made of silver containing about 2,5 p. cent copper, 0,5 p. cent gold, as well as traces of Bi, Mg, Fe, Ba, Al, Cr, Si and Pb. The surface of the object is very corroded and the corrosion products are mainly composed of silver halides (chlorides identified by X-ray diffraction and bromides by X-ray microfluorescence), the salts most commonly renencountered in silver corrosion. As regards the golds of the belt and the necklace, it should be noted that not only are they different alloys (about 20 p. cent Ag for the belt and 50 p. cent for the necklace) but also that the traces present are equally different for the two golds, which implies that the golds are not of the same origin.

Ch. LAHANIER