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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

An Inverse Analysis Approach to the Characterization of Chemical Transport in Paints
Published on: August 29, 2014
Multitechnique Characterization of Pigments Used in Paintings by Léon Pallière
Guadalupe do Nascimento Campos1, Marcus Granato1, Antonieta Middea2
1Museum of Astronomy (MAST), Rua General Bruce 586, Bairro Imperial de São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro 20921-030, Brazil.
Abstract:
This study provides a microanalytical characterization of pigment fragments from the painting "Allegory to the Arts" and two portraits, "Rubens" and "Tintoretto," by Léon Pallière. The fragments were surface-analyzed using several near-surface methods to acquire information on the materials and determine the painting techniques utilized before the restoration. Scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM/EDS), Raman spectroscopy coupled to an optical microscope (Raman microprobe), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed organic materials, hydrocerussite (Pb3(CO3)2(OH)2), cerussite (PbCO3), zincite (ZnO), chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), nepheline (K(Na,K)3AlSi4O16), calcite (CaCO3), brookite (TiO2), kinoshitalite (Ba3(Si2Al2)O10(OH)2), hematite (Fe2O3), barium magnesium silicate (Ba2Mg(Si2O7)), and aluminosilicates. Also identified were vermilion/cinnabar (HgS), copper phthalocyanine blue (C32H16CuN8), and mendipite (Pb3Cl2O2), in addition to the use of gold leaf in one of the artworks. SEM/EDS provided information on the chemical composition and surface morphology of the fragments, and XRD revealed crystalline raw materials (minerals or their synthetic analogs) used in the paintings. Raman microprobe was particularly useful in identifying pigments, providing a uniquely specific and sensitive means of identifying inorganic and organic compounds.
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