SEM in Art Restoration and Conservation

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used in art restoration and conservation to look at the artwork in more depth. In my research, I specifically looked at how art restorers and conservators scan paintings and what the microscope can show them. There are SEMs that are big enough to hold a whole painting, if the SEM is small then the person using it for something bigger can add another instrument to it for them to be able to scan the artwork, or the person can take small extractions from the painting for the microscope. The SEM has helped expand art restoration and conservation by helping us see the pigments and deterioration of a painting or other type of artwork.