Pigments used in Roman wall paintings in the Vesuvian area

• DOI: 10.1002/jrs.2701
• Publication Date: 2010-05-27T00:11:31Z
• Authors: Irene Aliatis; Danilo Bersani; Elisa Campani; Antonella Casoli; Pier Paolo Lottici; Silvia Mantovan; Iari‐Gabriel Marino
• Keywords: Malachite; Tridymite

Abstract Powdered pigments found in bowls from the Pompeii archaeological site and some wall‐painting fragments Vesuvian area (conserved National Archaeological Museum of Naples) were investigated by microscopic Raman FTIR spectroscopies, X‐ray diffraction scanning electron microscopy‐energy dispersive X‐ray. Brown, red yellow are common ochres based on goethite haematite. The blue pigment is Egyptian blue: presence tridymite cristobalite indicates firing temperatures 1000–1100 °C range. Pink prepared both with purely inorganic materials, mixing haematite (violet hue), or presumably adding an organic dye to aluminium‐silica matrix. A white powder a bowl composed mainly unusual huntite (CaMg 3 (CO ) 4 ). Celadonite green samples wall paintings, together basic lead carbonate, while heterogeneous shows malachite mixed goethite, blue, haematite, carbon, cerussite quartz. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.