On the origin of Goa Cathedral former altarpiece: Material and technical assessment to the work of Garcia Fernandes, Portuguese painter from 16th century Lisbon workshop

The stratigraphic study allowed to compare ground layers, pigments and binders which, were characterized using complementary analytical and imaging techniques: (X-ray Fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), Infrared Reflectography (IRR), Infrared Photography (IRP), Macro Photography (MP), micro-X-ray Diffraction (μ-XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Raman micro-spectroscopy (μ-Raman), Fourier Transform Infrared micro-spectroscopy (μ-FTIR), Pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (PY-GC/MS). This work brought a new insight on the techniques and materials used in this Masterpiece and highlighted the conclusion that Goa Cathedral former altarpiece must be a Portuguese production.