This note reports initiation of an activation study of trace elements in white lead, the chief pigment in all paintings. The goal was to test whether neutron activation analysis could be used for dating paintings or attributing them to various artistic schools. Small sample sizes and extreme sensitivity make activation analysis the only feasible analytical technique for pigment analysis. It was found that Venetian white lead differs significantly from white lead in the paintings of the Dutch masters in the elements silver, antimony, and manganese; this demonstrates that the goal of attribution to specific schools is achievable. The study also found that modern imitations could be identified by distinctly lower concentrations of copper, and sometimes by marked elevation of barium, zinc, or some other single trace element.