Terahertz imaging applied to the examination of artistic objects

Terahertz (THz) radiation can be employed onsite for the analysis of museum artifacts related to art conservation science. This review presents two complementary portable THz imaging devices which have been employed at the Tokyo National Museum (Japan) and at the Museum of Aquitaine (France). A Japanese panel screen, African fetish figures, and a nearly 3500-year-old sealed Egyptian jar were imaged with THz waves, revealing their internal structures.