Green pigments of the Pompeian artists' palette

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2009 Aug;73(3):532-8. doi: 10.1016/j.saa.2008.11.009. Epub 2008 Nov 21.

Abstract

Green colored samples on wall paintings and green powder from a pigment pot found in Pompeii area are investigated by micro-Raman, FT-IR and, for one sample, SEM-EDX. To obtain the green color, green earths and malachite were used, together with mixture of Egyptian blue and yellow ochre. The mineralogical identification of the green earths has been attempted through the comparison of the vibrational features, discriminating between celadonite and glauconite spectra. Traces of a modern synthetic pigment containing copper phthalocyanine were found in a fresco fragment.

Publication types

  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Coloring Agents / analysis*
  • History, Ancient
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Minerals / analysis*
  • Organometallic Compounds / analysis
  • Paintings / history*
  • Powders / analysis
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared*
  • Spectrum Analysis, Raman*

Substances

  • Coloring Agents
  • Minerals
  • Organometallic Compounds
  • Powders
  • malachite