A Study on the Conservation and Management of the Painting of Shamanistic Spirits in Chiseonggwang Buddha

This study presents a method for conserving shamanistic spirits in Chiseonggwang Buddha. Scientific investigation has revealed that these spirits have been subject to degeneration as a result of severe exfoliation and pollution. The materials and preservation treatment techniques used in create these shamanistic spirits were identified through visual inspection and using appropriate scientific equipment. The different types of background paper, background material, and color pigments used in create the shamanistic spirits were analyzed using a colorimeter, stereoscopic microscope, and SEM-EDS techniques. The analysis revealed that the pulp paper was used as the background and synthetic fiber polyester as the background material. In addition, the study of the pigment revealed that the color components were all synthetic, except for red lead [Pb3O4] and oyster shell white [CaCO3]. Moreover, it was confirmed that the green pigment, identified as emerald green [Cu(C2H3O2)2.3Cu(AsO2)2], was a major component of shamanistic spirits in the late 19th century. The shamanistic spirits in Chiseonggwang Buddha were conserved by identifying raw materials and pigments through this detailed analysis.

Research on Relationships between the Pigment of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes Frescoes and Ecological Microorganism

Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes is one of the largest art treasures in the world. She has a large number of murals, sculptures, beautiful and vivid; There are precious Buddhist scriptures, documents, noble and elegant. Spanning more than 1,600 years, the Mogao Grottoes show the world the extensive and profound Chinese culture with a long history. But over time, the murals in the Mogao Grottoes have also changed a lot. Thousands of years of wind and rain erosion, changes in the surrounding environment, and the influence of various biological communities have caused serious color changes and fading of murals in Mogao Grottoes. To slow down the color change of Dunhuang frescoes, protection measures should be taken from the perspective of ecological microorganisms. At present, Cladosporium, Planococcus, Phoma, Chaetomium, and other strains have caused serious discoloration or discoloration of murals to a certain extent. This paper studies the main color of Dunhuang frescoes, red, and summarizes the discoloration factors and mechanism of red lead. On this level, one should try to keep the murals and control the indoor temperature. Humidity, people, and other factors slow the fading of the murals. But these are often insufficient to protect the integrity of the murals, so we have conducted a review of the literature to provide an updated overview of the available evidence on the subject.

Pigments—Lead-based whites, reds, yellows and oranges and their alteration phases

This review summarises the state-of-the-art of lead-based pigment studies, addressing their production, trade, use and possible alteration. Other issues, such as those related to the investigation and protection of artworks bearing lead-based pigments are also presented. The focus is mineralogical, as both raw materials and degradation products are mineral phases occurring in nature (except for very few cases). The minerals described are abellaite, anglesite, blixite, caledonite, challacolloite, cerussite, cotunnite, crocoite, galena, grootfonteinite, hydrocerussite, laurionite, leadhillite, litharge, macphersonite, massicot, mimetite, minium, palmierite, phosgenite, plattnerite, plumbonacrite, schulténite, scrutinyite, somersetite, susannite, vanadinite and an unnamed phase (PbMg(CO3)2). The pigments discussed are lead white, red lead, litharge, massicot, lead-tin yellow, lead-tin-antimony yellow, lead-chromate yellow and Naples yellow. An attempt is made to describe the history, technology and alteration of these pigments in the most complete manner possible, despite the topic's evident breadth. Finally, an insight into the analytical methods that can (and should) be used for accurate archaeometric investigations and a summary of key concepts conclude this review, along with a further list of references for use as a starting point for further research.

Complex Relationships: A Materials Study of Édouard Vuillard’s Interior, Mother and Sister of the Artist

Édouard Vuillard (1868–1949) is well known for his small atmospheric paintings, often portraying his own home and family as the subject matter. Interior, Mother and Sister of the Artist (1893) underwent at least one restoration treatment before being acquired by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 1934. The painting was treated again in 1954, but no analysis was carried out to understand the artist’s methods and materials at that time. To better understand the choices of Vuillard in Interior, Mother and Sister of the Artist, a comprehensive suite of imaging and spectroscopic analyses was undertaken, including: XRR, UVF and IRR Photography, XRF, Raman spectroscopy and SERS, and µ-FTIR. Statistical analysis on the XRF data using MCR-ALS further revealed some of the intricacies of Vuillard’s technique and color choices, where a large number of pigments were used in designing this intimate composition, including lead white, zinc white, bone black, ochre, umber, vermilion, Geranium lake, red lead, ultramarine, Prussian blue, chrome yellow, chrome orange, zinc yellow, strontium yellow, cadmium yellow, and a chromium oxide green.

The reason for the closure of the Votall's duct in newborns. Vogt (Fortschr. D. Röntgenstr., 28)

Vogt (Fortschr. D. Rntgenstr., 28) made a number of studies with the infection of the circulatory system in newborns through the umbilical vein. For injection he was served with a mixture of 60.0 red lead, 100.0 water, 20.0 chalk and 20.0 gelatin.

Identification of Colourants and Varnishes in a 14th Century Decorated Wood-Carved Door of the Dionysiou Monastery in Mount Athos

A decorated and carved wooden door of the late Byzantine period (14th Century), which belongs to the Dionysiou Monastery in Mount Athos, Greece, constitutes an important relic of valuable technological information due to its construction technology and history. Seventeen (17) samples detached from the door are studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), and micro-Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. The following materials are identified in the cross sections of the door samples using micro-Raman spectroscopy: orpiment, lead white, red lead, red ochre, cinnabar, carbon black, gypsum, anhydrite, and calcite, and an organic colourant of the indigoid family. SEM-EDX studies supported to the aforementioned Raman results. Interestingly, a combination of inorganic and organic colourants was detected. The main goals of this particular study were to: (a) reveal the colour palette and materials, (b) identify the type of varnish and its condition, and (c) contribute to future restoration processes and aid conservators in selecting compatible restoration materials.

Reviving Alexander Calder’s Man-Eater with Pennants: A Technical Examination of the Original Paint Palette

Mat-Eater with Pennants, a rarely exhibited sculpture in Alexander Calder’s oeuvre, was commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and installed in 1945. To exhibit the large standing mobile in Alexander Calder: Modern from the Start (2021), the derelict sculpture had to be remediated; this initiated a collaborative investigation with conservation scientists, conservators, curators, and the Calder Foundation into the original paint colors hidden beneath layers of repaint. XRF analysis was carried out to elucidate the paints’ composition, followed by sampling for analysis to assess the paint stratigraphy and binders. Scrapings were analyzed by µ-FTIR and Raman spectroscopies; cross sections were examined with optical microscopy and analyzed with SEM-EDS. Analysis differentiated between the original paints, which contain Prussian blue, parachlor red, chrome yellow, and the many layers of overpaint, which contain titanium white, molybdate orange, a variety of β-Naphthol reds, red lead, and ultramarine. A model for Man-Eater, Mobile with 14 Flags, is also part of the museum’s collection, and was first considered as a point of reference for the original colors. Similar analysis, however, indicates that the maquette was painted after the Man-Eater was first installed, therefore is not representative of the original colors. In addition to investigating an early primary palette for Calder’s outdoor sculptures, this study helped develop the plan for the restoration of the original color scheme of Man-Eater.

Revealing Artists’ Collaboration in a 14th Century Manuscript by Non-Invasive Analyses

In the last decades, the working methods of late medieval illuminators have been widely discussed by art historians and codicologists. Non-invasive analyses are able to characterise the painting methods of illuminators as well as investigate artistic collaborations among them. The aim of this study was to characterise the painting palettes and techniques of different artists who illuminated two leaves from an early fourteenth century manuscript. The analyses were carried out with non-invasive and portable techniques such as Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectrometry, Fiber Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) and Raman spectroscopy. The paper highlights the differences among three rich and varied palettes and examines the pigments ultramarine, azurite, verdigris, earths, orpiment, red lead, vermillion, lead white, yellow lake, indigo, brazilwood and lac, used independently or in mixtures. We have demonstrated the effectiveness of non-invasive analyses as a tool to differentiate hands of artists who have worked on the same page. Furthermore, the comparison with analyses carried out on leaves attributed to the workshop of Pacino di Bonaguida allows to investigate in-depth the production of the main illuminators active in Florence at the dawn of the Renaissance.

Multianalytical Assessment of Armour Paints—The Ageing Characteristics of Historic Drying Oil Varnish Paints for Protection of Steel and Iron Surfaces in Sweden

The characteristics of armour paints, historically used to protect ferrous industrial heritage, are explored. Amour paints contain lamellar and highly reflexive pigments of micaceous iron oxide (MIO) and metallic, leafing aluminium, bound in linseed oil and linseed oil–tung oil mixtures, on an inhibitive and soap-forming linseed oil primer (red lead). It is the first study of the binding media used for historical armour paints and investigates the chemical and physical ageing of armour paints using a multianalytical approach. Naturally aged examples are compared to accelerated aged replica armour paint, and to historical paints. The ageing and degradation reactions are assessed by complementary GC–MS and FTIR, together with measurements of wettability, hardness and surface colour. The historical paint formulations include linseed oils and alkyd binders. The results confirm that the leafing effect of aluminium pigments results in only a small concentration of binder at the surface: the paints studied reflect light and form a strong chemical and physical barrier. Linseed oils and tung oil mixtures have been proven to be suitable for the production of armour paints, but the evaluation of ageing and assessment of physical changes will require further investigation.