Wall Paintings (wall + painting)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


ANALYSIS OF ROMAN WALL PAINTINGS FROM THE THERMAE OF ,IULIA CONCORDIA'

ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 4 2010
G. A. MAZZOCCHIN
Twenty-six wall painting fragments and some plaster, ,intonachino' and stucco samples, discovered at Iulia Concordia, have been studied by different analytical techniques to gain information about the pigment nature and the composition of the materials. The presence of calcite, dolomite and aragonite allow the distinction of four groups of wall samples varying in the nature of pigments and in the application technique. These differences can be attributed to different execution times or, more probably, to the arrangement of the rooms in the building structure. The nature of the pigments found in the Thermae of Iulia Concordia appears similar to that found in other Roman villas of Venetia et Histria, with the use of precious pigments such as Egyptian blue and cinnabar. [source]


DETERMINATION OF PIGMENTS AND BINDERS IN POMPEIAN WALL PAINTINGS USING SYNCHROTRON RADIATION , HIGH-RESOLUTION X-RAY POWDER DIFFRACTION AND CONVENTIONAL SPECTROSCOPY , CHROMATOGRAPHY

ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2010
A. DURAN
The employment of synchrotron techniques complemented by conventional laboratory systems has allowed us to deepen and improve our knowledge of Roman wall painting procedures. The palette identified in wall paintings from Pompeii and Herculaneum from the second century bc includes goethite, hematite, cinnabar, glauconite, Egyptian blue, and other components such as calcite and aragonite. Proof of the use of organic binders is provided by FTIR and PY,GC/MS. Therefore, the possibility of the use of ,a secco' techniques cannot be ruled out. Pigments in wall paintings are usually found in small percentages and conventional X-ray diffractometers do not detect them. Synchrotron radiation , high-resolution X-ray powder diffraction has allowed identification with only a few micrograms of sample. [source]


THE IMPACT OF SOLUBLE SALTS ON THE DETERIORATION OF PHARAONIC AND COPTIC WALL PAINTINGS AT AL QURNA, EGYPT: MINERALOGY AND CHEMISTRY*

ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2009
A. M. A. MOUSSA
The wall paintings of Al Qurna in Egypt were studied by means of XRD and ICP,AES in order to determine their mineralogical and chemical composition, and to evaluate the impact of soluble salts on their deterioration, including the identification of the building materials and pigments used. Soluble salts analysis showed that NaCl is the most common soluble salt in the bedrock, ground water and surface water samples. The building materials are affected by the ground water, while the wall paintings in the area are affected by the Upper Egypt climatic conditions, which were studied in order to detect their role in the deterioration cycle in the area. [source]


Fish and Fishermen in English Medieval Wall Paintings , By Frederick Buller

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NAUTICAL ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 2 2010
JOE FLATMAN
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


An example of the complementarity of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and Raman microscopy for wall painting pigments analysis

JOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, Issue 7 2007
Romain Bruder
Abstract Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and Raman microscopy were used for the identification of pigments in wall painting. Raman spectroscopy, which provides the molecular ,fingerprint' of the compound, is nowadays widely used by the archaeometry community, especially for pigment analysis. LIBS, which provides the elementary composition of samples, is a rapid noncontact method, enabling layer-by-layer analysis through a precise laser ablation of the sample. This work deals with the behavior of pigments after a LIBS analysis, by trying to identify the compounds before and after the laser shot. Six commercial pigments prepared with the fresco technique were investigated: ultramarine blue, red lead, charcoal, a yellow and a red ochre, and a green earth. Raman spectra, acquired on the sample surface and in the crater induced by LIBS analysis, were compared. The results show that these pigments are well recognized after a LIBS measurement. The analysis of green earth illustrates that the combination of these two techniques gives complete information from a sample. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Raman spectroscopic analysis of mediaeval wall paintings in the Palencia region, Spain

JOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, Issue 10 2006
S. E. Jorge Villar
Abstract The use of Raman spectroscopic techniques for the analysis of wall paintings and frescoes has been reported previously. In this paper we present for the first time the Raman study of a collection of three wall paintings attributed to the same artist, dating from the XVth century, and a fourth wall painting dated three centuries earlier, all of them located in the same area, namely Palencia in northern Spain. From the results obtained here we can conclude that there is an identifiable recipe for the different colours and pigment tonalities, which had been maintained during the centuries regardless of the artistic origin of the work and did not seem to have been subjected to external influences. Also, the use of expensive pigments by the artist(s) is identified with the local importance of the figure, more than with the established religious hierarchy. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Controlled enzymatic removal of damaging casein layers on medieval wall paintings

BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 1 2002
Sascha Beutel
Abstract A new, gentle enzymatic method was developed for a controlled removal of casein layers from medieval wall paintings. These casein layers were applied over the last 60 years on wall paintings in order to decrease substantial damage due to a peeling off of the frescoes from the roughcast surface due to environmental effects. However, due to the aging of the casein layers (at 40,50 years), a more drastic peeling occurred and the danger of total destruction of the wall paintings is severe. Thus, screening was performed to find the most suitable enzyme for casein digestion. Alcalase 2.5 DX L was the most appropriate enzyme for an effective proteolysis reaction. The enzyme was immobilized on functionalized cellulose membrane. A membrane pad system with immobilized enzymes was developed which could be pressed on the casein layers on the wall painting. A controlled removal of the casein layers by proteolytic digestion was observed and it was possible to continuously wash off the hydrolyzed casein fragments from the wall painting surface by an aqueous carbonate buffer flowing through the membrane pad. The removal and the digestion was monitored by reverse HPLC. Additionally, an on-line monitoring system was set up in order to continuously follow the casein layer removal and the digestion procedure directly on the wall painting. This technique is based on noninvasive 2D-fluorescence monitoring. Optical fiber systems were used to continuously monitor the fluorescence intensity of casein-bound tryptophan. The off-line data were verified with the on-line 2D-fluorescence data. Based on the scientific result an appropriate technique for the controlled enzymatic removal of damaging casein layers on the surface of medieval wall paintings using immobilized enzyme is now available. It is now applied to remove such casein layers from medieval wall paintings in the Allerheiligen-Kapelle Cloister, Wienhausen, Germany, and the St. Alexander Kirche, Wildeshausen, Germany. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 80: 13,21, 2002. [source]


Maya blue,green pigments found in Calakmul, Mexico: a study by Raman and UV-visible spectroscopy

JOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, Issue 8 2008
Renata Garcia Moreno
Abstract After more than two decades of fieldwork in the Maya archaeological site of Calakmul, Mexico, numerous remnants of blue and green pigments have been reported on wall paintings, as well as on funerary paraphernalia, such as masks, miniatures and vases. The importance of these pigments is linked to the sacred values that Maya people associate with blue and green colours since pre-Columbian times. These hues symbolise water, and are therefore associated with fertility and regeneration. This paper aims to perform a survey of the blue and green pigments used in the Early Classic and Late Classic periods in Calakmul (300,850 A.D.), in order to have a better understanding of their chemical composition and origin. Analyses were performed on microsamples using Raman and UV-visible spectroscopies to evaluate the possibilities that these techniques can offer in future in situ researches on Mesoamerican archaeological materials and objects. With these analyses, we have documented a large blue,green chromatic palette, which includes the earliest Blue Maya and Green Maya known to date, as well as malachite, pseudomalachite and an unknown-up-to-now blue-green mineral pigment, veszelyite, used specifically for ritual objects. The results indicate a careful selection of imported products and the mastering of a complex ancient Maya pictorial tradition. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


,Green earths': vibrational and elemental characterization of glauconites, celadonites and historical pigments

JOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, Issue 8 2008
Francesca Ospitali
Abstract ,Green earths' are employed since antiquity as pigments in the creation of artworks. The minerals responsible for the colour belong to four groups: (1) the clayey micas celadonite and glauconite, undoubtedly the most common; (2) smectites; (3) chlorites; (4) serpentines. Whereas there have been several studies on clayey materials, mineralogical analyses in the field of cultural heritage are mainly limited to the identification of the green earth without specific characterization of the mineralogical species. This work shows a preliminary characterization by the multi-techniques approach of some raw minerals (glauconite, celadonite and ferroceladonite). Vibrational analyses have been correlated with elemental analyses, thanks to the hyphenated instrumentation of scanning electron microscopy with EDS and Raman structural and chemical analyser (SEM-EDS-SCA) probes, which permitted collection of EDS and Raman spectra on the same microscopic area. Micro-Raman and Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopies were able to distinguish between celadonite and glauconite. The use of different lasers revealed resonance effects in the Raman spectra. In addition to pure minerals, archaeological samples and commercial green earths were also analysed, thereby enabling a more precise classification of the green pigments in heterogeneous samples such as wall paintings. Some commercially available green earths were found to contain organic dyes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Raman spectroscopic analysis of mediaeval wall paintings in the Palencia region, Spain

JOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, Issue 10 2006
S. E. Jorge Villar
Abstract The use of Raman spectroscopic techniques for the analysis of wall paintings and frescoes has been reported previously. In this paper we present for the first time the Raman study of a collection of three wall paintings attributed to the same artist, dating from the XVth century, and a fourth wall painting dated three centuries earlier, all of them located in the same area, namely Palencia in northern Spain. From the results obtained here we can conclude that there is an identifiable recipe for the different colours and pigment tonalities, which had been maintained during the centuries regardless of the artistic origin of the work and did not seem to have been subjected to external influences. Also, the use of expensive pigments by the artist(s) is identified with the local importance of the figure, more than with the established religious hierarchy. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Pigments and binders in the wall paintings of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma (Italy): the ultimate technique of Parmigianino

JOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, Issue 8-9 2004
Danilo Bersani
Abstract Micro-Raman spectroscopy and gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC,MS) were employed to investigate the materials used in the wall paintings by the older Parmigianino (Francesco Mazzola, 1503,1540) on the arch over the main altar in the church of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma, Italy. The pigments used by the artist and those added by later restorations are characterized by micro-Raman spectroscopy. GC,MS identified the organic binding media in the paint samples and revealed the presence of polysaccharides in the plaster. These investigations may be useful for a comparison with the technique of the young Parmigianino, author of wall paintings in the church of S. Giovanni Evangelista in Parma in the 1520s. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Sulfur isotope analysis of cinnabar from Roman wall paintings by elemental analysis/isotope ratio mass spectrometry , tracking the origin of archaeological red pigments and their authenticity

RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 19 2010
Jorge E. Spangenberg
The most valuable pigment of the Roman wall paintings was the red color obtained from powdered cinnabar (Minium Cinnabaris pigment), the red mercury sulfide (HgS), which was brought from mercury (Hg) deposits in the Roman Empire. To address the question of whether sulfur isotope signatures can serve as a rapid method to establish the provenance of the red pigment in Roman frescoes, we have measured the sulfur isotope composition (,34S value in , VCDT) in samples of wall painting from the Roman city Aventicum (Avenches, Vaud, Switzerland) and compared them with values from cinnabar from European mercury deposits (Almadén in Spain, Idria in Slovenia, Monte Amiata in Italy, Moschellandsberg in Germany, and Genepy in France). Our study shows that the ,34S values of cinnabar from the studied Roman wall paintings fall within or near to the composition of Almadén cinnabar; thus, the provenance of the raw material may be deduced. This approach may provide information on provenance and authenticity in archaeological, restoration and forensic studies of Roman and Greek frescoes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


DETERMINATION OF PIGMENTS AND BINDERS IN POMPEIAN WALL PAINTINGS USING SYNCHROTRON RADIATION , HIGH-RESOLUTION X-RAY POWDER DIFFRACTION AND CONVENTIONAL SPECTROSCOPY , CHROMATOGRAPHY

ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2010
A. DURAN
The employment of synchrotron techniques complemented by conventional laboratory systems has allowed us to deepen and improve our knowledge of Roman wall painting procedures. The palette identified in wall paintings from Pompeii and Herculaneum from the second century bc includes goethite, hematite, cinnabar, glauconite, Egyptian blue, and other components such as calcite and aragonite. Proof of the use of organic binders is provided by FTIR and PY,GC/MS. Therefore, the possibility of the use of ,a secco' techniques cannot be ruled out. Pigments in wall paintings are usually found in small percentages and conventional X-ray diffractometers do not detect them. Synchrotron radiation , high-resolution X-ray powder diffraction has allowed identification with only a few micrograms of sample. [source]


THE IMPACT OF SOLUBLE SALTS ON THE DETERIORATION OF PHARAONIC AND COPTIC WALL PAINTINGS AT AL QURNA, EGYPT: MINERALOGY AND CHEMISTRY*

ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2009
A. M. A. MOUSSA
The wall paintings of Al Qurna in Egypt were studied by means of XRD and ICP,AES in order to determine their mineralogical and chemical composition, and to evaluate the impact of soluble salts on their deterioration, including the identification of the building materials and pigments used. Soluble salts analysis showed that NaCl is the most common soluble salt in the bedrock, ground water and surface water samples. The building materials are affected by the ground water, while the wall paintings in the area are affected by the Upper Egypt climatic conditions, which were studied in order to detect their role in the deterioration cycle in the area. [source]


Controlled enzymatic removal of damaging casein layers on medieval wall paintings

BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 1 2002
Sascha Beutel
Abstract A new, gentle enzymatic method was developed for a controlled removal of casein layers from medieval wall paintings. These casein layers were applied over the last 60 years on wall paintings in order to decrease substantial damage due to a peeling off of the frescoes from the roughcast surface due to environmental effects. However, due to the aging of the casein layers (at 40,50 years), a more drastic peeling occurred and the danger of total destruction of the wall paintings is severe. Thus, screening was performed to find the most suitable enzyme for casein digestion. Alcalase 2.5 DX L was the most appropriate enzyme for an effective proteolysis reaction. The enzyme was immobilized on functionalized cellulose membrane. A membrane pad system with immobilized enzymes was developed which could be pressed on the casein layers on the wall painting. A controlled removal of the casein layers by proteolytic digestion was observed and it was possible to continuously wash off the hydrolyzed casein fragments from the wall painting surface by an aqueous carbonate buffer flowing through the membrane pad. The removal and the digestion was monitored by reverse HPLC. Additionally, an on-line monitoring system was set up in order to continuously follow the casein layer removal and the digestion procedure directly on the wall painting. This technique is based on noninvasive 2D-fluorescence monitoring. Optical fiber systems were used to continuously monitor the fluorescence intensity of casein-bound tryptophan. The off-line data were verified with the on-line 2D-fluorescence data. Based on the scientific result an appropriate technique for the controlled enzymatic removal of damaging casein layers on the surface of medieval wall paintings using immobilized enzyme is now available. It is now applied to remove such casein layers from medieval wall paintings in the Allerheiligen-Kapelle Cloister, Wienhausen, Germany, and the St. Alexander Kirche, Wildeshausen, Germany. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 80: 13,21, 2002. [source]