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Non-invasive and micro-destructive investigation of the Domus Aurea wall painting decorations

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Abstract

The paper reports on the exploitation of an educated multi-technique analytical approach based on a wide non invasive step followed by a focused micro-destructive step, aimed at the minimally invasive identification of the pigments decorating the ceiling of the Gilded Vault of the Domus Aurea in Rome. The combination of elemental analysis with molecular characterization provided by X-ray fluorescence and UV–vis spectroscopies, respectively, allowed for the in situ non-invasive identification of a remarkable number of pigments, namely Egyptian blue, green earth, cinnabar, red ochre and an anthraquinonic lake. The study was completed with the Raman analysis of two bulk samples, in particular, SERS measurements allowed for the speciation of the anthraquinonic pigment. Elemental mapping by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometer combined with micro-fluorimetry on cross-section gave an insight into both the distribution of different blend of pigments and on the nature of the inorganic support of the red dye.

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Acknowledgments

MOLAB analyses have been carried out through the support of the EU within the sixth Framework Programme (Contract Eu-ARTECH, RII3-CT-2004-506171). Authors thank Dr. Alessia Daveri and Dr. Francesca Rosi of the MOLAB team. Dr. R. Mannucci and Prof. I. Nicoletti of the Laboratorio di Analisi di Immagine of the University of Perugia are gratefully acknowledged for making the confocal microscopy study possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SMAArt, c/o Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Perugia, via Elce di Sotto 8, 06123, Perugia, Italy

    Catia Clementi, Brenda Doherty & Brunetto Giovanni Brunetti

  2. SMAART, Università degli Studi di Perugia e INSTM, via Elce di Sotto 8, 06123, Perugia, Italy

    Catia Clementi, Valeria Ciocan, Brenda Doherty, Brunetto Giovanni Brunetti & Costanza Miliani

  3. SMAART e il Restauro dei Beni Culturali, Università degli Studi di Roma, La Sapienza, Roma, Italy

    Manuela Vagnini & Marisa Laurenzi Tabasso

  4. Archeologica di Roma, Roma, Italy

    Cinzia Conti

  5. Istituto CNR di Scienze e Tecnologie Molecolari (CNR-ISTM), c/o Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Perugia, via Elce di Sotto 8, 06123, Perugia, Italy

    Brunetto Giovanni Brunetti & Costanza Miliani

Authors
  1. Catia Clementi
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  2. Valeria Ciocan
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  3. Manuela Vagnini
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  4. Brenda Doherty
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  5. Marisa Laurenzi Tabasso
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  6. Cinzia Conti
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  7. Brunetto Giovanni Brunetti
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  8. Costanza Miliani
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Costanza Miliani.

Additional information

Published in the special issue Analytical Chemistry to Illuminate the Past with guest editor Maria Perla Colombini.

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Clementi, C., Ciocan, V., Vagnini, M. et al. Non-invasive and micro-destructive investigation of the Domus Aurea wall painting decorations. Anal Bioanal Chem 401, 1815–1826 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-5250-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-5250-6

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