Colourants on the wall paintings of a mediӕval fortress at the mount Sofeh in Isfahan, central Iran

Colourants on the twelfth century wall paintings excavated at the fortress located on the mount Sofeh in Isfahan, central Iran, were analysed using micro X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF), micro Raman spectroscopy (µ-Raman) and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization quadropole time-of-flight (HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF). The results of the analyses showed that gypsum, atacamite, carbon black, orpiment and ultramarine blue were used as white, green, black, yellow and blue pigments, respectively. Moreover, three red colourants including red lead, red vermilion and madder red were identified in the wall paintings. Furthermore, possible sources for the colourants are discussed

Micro-Raman spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry on the characterization of the Persian pigments used in the pre-seventeenth century wall paintings of Masjid-i Jāme of Abarqū, central Iran

The pigments used in the wall paintings of the Masjid-i Jāme of Abarqū, central Iran, as less-known pigments used in the history of Persian painting, were investigated with micro-Raman spectroscopy, micro X-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and polarised light microscopy (PLM). The results showed that the green, red, and blue pigments were atacamite, red lead, and smalt mixed with natural ultramarine blue respectively applied on a white substrate composed of white huntite. Moreover, the blue smalt was identified to be used on the white huntite and under the paint layer in order to delineate the design of the wall paintings and to act as a rough sketch for the subsequent use of the other pigments. Glushinskite, as a less-reported mineral in historical wall paintings, was identified by micro-Raman spectroscopy and hypothesised to be associated with the degradation of the white huntite binder. Furthermore, micro-Raman spectroscopy studies surprisingly revealed the mineral woodhouseite sparely mixed with the green pigment. This paper strongly suggests micro-Raman spectroscopy for identifying archaeological pigments and for diagnosing their deterioration products. Conducting scientific methods of analysis, the pigments identified in this study are reported for the first time to be used in Persian wall paintings

A multi-analytical approach to the examination of nineteenth-century European wallpapers in Vasiq-Ansari House in Isfahan, Iran

In the nineteenth century, imported wallpapers covered interior walls of Persian palaces and mansions, of which Vasiq-Ansari House in Isfahan, Iran, exhibits very highly elaborated examples. In this study, micro-Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, ultraviolet visible spectroscopy, and light microscopy were used to identify pigments and other materials used in the wallpapers of Vasiq-Ansari House. Results indicated that chrome yellow, artificial ultramarine blue, brass metallic leaf, an organic red dyestuff (probably cochineal), and a copper-based green were used as colourants in the wallpapers. Different shades of brown were achieved by mixing various combinations of red lead, carbon black, and calcium carbonate. The white calcium carbonate was also used as a ground layer, applied to a paper support composed of bast and softwood fibres. Based on knowledge of the materials used, these wallpapers are most probably manufactured from the mid- to late-nineteenth century