OSE-ART : EXPERTISE AND LABORATORY FOR THE ANALYSIS OF WORKS OF ART - ON-SITE INTERVENTION

Specialists (Conservators, restirators, Forensic Scientists) are faced with real technical challenges when it comes to safeguarding cultural heritage. It is now essential for you, the professionals, to be able to count on quality technical support.

We intervene on site (mobile laboratory): non destructive analysis, physico-chemical analyses and measurements, micro-sampling...

Artwork & Cultural Heritage Analysis

OSE Services supports museums, galleries, conservators, auction houses, and private collectors with materials analysis, authentication support, and conservation science.
We combine on-site interventions (France & Europe) with advanced laboratory techniques to answer complex questions about artworks and heritage objects.

— On-Site & Laboratory Services | 48h turnaround upon request & context —

What We Do

• Material Identification: pigments, binders, resins, varnishes, fillers, consolidants

• Stratigraphy & Layer Studies: paint layers, grounds, varnish interfaces

• Authentication Support: consistency checks of materials vs. claimed date/technique

• Condition & Degradation: salts, corrosion products, micro-cracking, soiling, plasticizer loss

• Contaminants & Particulate Matter: dusts, fibers, microplastics (in modern composites, coatings, packaging residues)

• Environmental & Preventive Conservation: impact of humidity, light, pollutants

Techniques & Instrumentation

• FTIR / µFTIR spectroscopy – organic binders, varnishes, modern polymers

• Raman spectroscopy – pigments, inks, corrosion products, mineral phases

• SEM-EDS (Scanning Electron Microscopy with EDS) – morphology, elemental mapping, cross-sections

• GC-MS / Py-GC-MS – natural/synthetic resins, oils, waxes, additives, plasticizers

• XRF (portable or bench) – non-destructive elemental analysis on site

• Optical Microscopy (reflected/transmitted) – microstructure, fibers, inclusions

• Colorimetry & Imaging – high-res imaging, UV/IR reflectography (on request/partner)

Sampling policy: non-destructive or micro-sampling only, agreed in writing with stakeholders. On-site tests prioritized wherever feasible.

Typical Materials & Objects

• Paintings & Polychrome (oil, tempera, acrylics, varnish, mixed media)

• Sculptures & Decorative Arts (stone, metal, wood, ceramics, composites)

• Paper, Prints & Photographs (inks, dyes, supports, adhesives)

• Textiles & Tapestries (fibers, dyes, finishes)

• Contemporary & Modern Materials (acrylics, vinyls, epoxies, polyesters)

Use Cases

• Verify whether pigments/binders are chronologically consistent

• Identify restoration materials before treatment planning

• Investigate staining, flaking, corrosion or varnish bloom

• Document stratigraphy to guide ethical conservation choices

• Provide scientific support in provenance or due-diligence reviews

• Art Forgeries

Workflow & Deliverables

1. Brief & Scope (object history, questions, access constraints)

2. On-Site Survey (non-destructive tests; optional micro-samples)

3. Laboratory Analysis (multi-technique approach)

4. Report including:

   • Executive summary (plain-language conclusions)

   • Methods & parameters

   • Micrographs, spectra, maps

   • Interpretation & conservation-oriented recommendations

   • Appendices (raw data available on request)

Turnaround: 5–15 business days typical; 48h possible upon request & context.

Quality & Ethics

• Traceable methods, inter-laboratory references where applicable

• Minimal intervention; sampling only with prior consent

• Recommendations aligned with conservation ethics and international guidelines (e.g., ICOM-CC principles)

Where We Operate

We work throughout France and across Europe. On-site screenings reduce transport risks and accelerate decision-making for conservators and curators. We ate the first mobile art conservation lab in Europe.

Curious to know more about our cases for Museums, Fondations, Curators, Justice Services...? Zoom on Ose Art - OSE SERVICES

Contact

Have a project or a pre-acquisition due-diligence?
Email: contact@ose-services.com — Offices/Labs: Paris & Annecy

Request a quote