The study deals with the characterization of pigments from the newly discovered wall painting at the Dominican Monastery in Ptuj (Slovenia) in order to acquire detailed information about the technology used, as well as to identify the deterioration products. The uncovered wall painting, depicting a vivid procession of riders, is dated to the late 14th century. Painting techniques and pigments were analysed by optical microscopy and Raman microspectroscopy. The optical microscope revealed that the wall painting was executed in a lime technique characteristic of the Central‐European artistic expression. Several natural and synthetic inorganic pigments, such as azurite, red and yellow ochres, cinnabar, red lead, lead white, lime white, lead–tin yellow type I and carbon black were identified. Surprising identification of the type I of lead–tin yellow used already in the 14th century is of high importance, since, until now, it was considered that it appeared on the market only in the first half of the 15th century. Plattnerite was observed as a result of degradation of lead pigments. The use of expensive azurite and cinnabar could indicate a wealthy client. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This study concerns the investigation of mortar layers and pigments of wall paintings from the Roman town of Emona (Ljubljana, Slovenia). Fragments of wall paintings consist of up to three preserved mortar layers. The mineralogical–petrographic compositions of the mortars were determined by means of optical microscopy and FT–IR spectroscopy. The investigated samples were divided into several groups based on similar thicknesses of the mortar layer, the binder colour and the composition of an aggregate. Furthermore, the results of mercury intrusion porosimetry showed that mortar layers consisting of carbonate grains exhibited lower porosity with respect to layers with mainly silicate grains, which is attributed to the angular shapes of carbonate aggregate. This is in accordance with the drilling resistance measurement system test (DRMS), confirming that layers with angular carbonate grains are harder than those with addition of rounded silicate ones, due to the good packing effect. The wall paintings were mainly executed using the fresco technique, while for some details secco was used. The identified pigments were red and yellow ochre, green earth, Egyptian blue, carbon black and lime white; all of them belonged to the so‐called austere pigment, which is quite common in Roman wall paintings.

Podpeč Limestone is characterized by its dark grey or nearly black colour, contrasting with white fossil shells of the mollusc Lithiotis. This formation, which has been dated as Lower Jurassic, occurs in southern and southwestern Slovenia and is particularly conspicuous in areas SW of Ljubljana. The main quarry, which is not active, is located near the village of Podpeč near Ljubljana and has been recognized as a geological site of national importance; as such, it is officially protected as a natural monument. The utilization of Podpeč Limestone was first documented during the Roman period in Slovenia. At the end of the 5th century AD, with the decline of the Roman Empire, stone-cutting ceased at Podpeč for many centuries. Towards the end of the 19th century Podpeč Limestone became better-known. During the first half of the 20th century significant stonecutting workshops were established in Podpeč with most stone being supplied from the main quarry. The internationally renowned Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik (1872–1957) used Podpeč Limestone in various Slovenian buildings, some of national importance. The utilization and national recognition of Podpeč Limestone within Slovenia provide abundant support for its nomination as a Global Heritage Stone Resource.

No abstract

Archaeological excavations of Roman Celeia (present-day Celje, Slovenia) carried out about 30 years ago revealed the remains of a Roman residential building where more than 9000 fragments of wall paintings were found. The past manual reassembling of fragments proved to be time consuming, limiting the amount of the material that can be examined and reconstructed. However, recently work has been resumed using a software application specifically developed for fragment reassembly. Information on mortar types can provide additional data about the fragments and thus help in the reconstruction process. Fragments of the wall paintings consist of up to three preserved mortar layers, differing in their thicknesses, aggregate compositions and binder colours. Based on the mineralogical/petrographic analyses of the mortars, the investigated fragments of the wall paintings were divided into several groups. The results revealed that the first-mortar-layer aggregates of all the fragments consist of carbonate grains, while the other-mortar-layer aggregates consist of carbonate, silicate/carbonate, silicate or silicate/ceramic grains. Keywords: wall paintings, Roman mortars, petrography, reassembling, fragments Arheolo{ka izkopavanja rimske Celeie (dana{nje Celje) pred pribli`no 30 leti so razkrila ostanke anti~nega stanovanjskega objekta, v katerem je bilo najdenih ve~kot 9000 fragmentov stenskih poslikav. Sestavljanje tak{nega {tevila fragmentov zahteva veliko~asa. Nedavno je bila za sestavljanje fragmentov razvita posebna ra~unalni{ka aplikacija. Informacije o sestavi malte se uporabljajo kot dodatni podatki pri sestavljanju fragmentov. Fragmente stenskih poslikav sestavljajo do tri ohranjene plasti ometov, ki se razlikujejo po debelini, sestavi agregata in barvi veziva. Analizirani fragmenti so bili na podlagi mineralo{ko-petrografskih preiskav razdeljeni v ve~skupin. Rezultati so pokazali, da pri vseh fragmentih zgornjo plast ometa sestavlja agregat iz karbonatnih zrn, medtem ko agregat spodnjih plasti sestavljajo bodisi karbonatna, silikatna/karbonatna, silikatna ali silikatna/kerami~na zrna.