Abstract
The theme of this paper is the analysis of medieval Romanian mural paintings, specifically the characterization of the pictorial layers containing blue pigments and the identification of their degradation products. The equipment used for this purpose included a portable X-ray fluorescence system (pXRF) and a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). The pXRF analyses were performed in situ in order to determine the pigments’ elemental composition and to identify the sampling areas for FTIR analyses. This study presents the identification of two blue pigments. The first is azurite, which was found at Arbore church; the church of St. George, Voroneț monastery; the church of Humor monastery; St. George church of St. John the New Monastery, Suceava; the Princely Church of St. Nicholas, Curtea de Argeș; and the Doamnei church, Bucharest. The second is smalt, both well-preserved and discoloured examples of which were identified at the church of Sucevița Monastery from Suceava. Calcium oxalate is the most frequently found alteration product identified in the pictorial layer with azurite, as well as in smalt pigment layers. In many cases the smalt pigment was not well-preserved, showing pronounced discolorations especially on exterior paintings. The detailed study of smalt at Sucevița, based on samples taken from twelve areas, demonstrates that the alteration of this pigment can be correlated with the formation of oxalate and carboxylate. FTIR spectrometry highlighted the occurrence of potassium carboxylate and of organic material in the smalt-containing pictorial layer, suggesting either a secco technique or a later intervention.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to express my gratitude to Dan Mohanu, Oliviu Boldura, Maria Dumbravician, Silviu Petrescu and Gheorghe Niculescu for their support, and for kindly providing samples from the historical monuments. I would also like to thank the following colleagues and friends who helped me in data collection, analysis and interpretation, offering their experience and knowledge to ensure clear understanding of conservation issues and degradation processes in paintings: Migdonia Georgescu, Ileana Mohanu, Zizi Baltă, Irina Petroviciu, Elena Martin, Paula-Gina Baranovschi, John Sarcoe and Ana-Maria Vlad.
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Barbu, O.H. (2021). pXRF and FTIR Spectrometry Applied to the Study of Azurite and Smalt in Romanian Medieval Wall Painting. In: Aoki, S., et al. Conservation and Painting Techniques of Wall Paintings on the Ancient Silk Road. Cultural Heritage Science. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4161-6_6
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