Micro‐spectroscopic Raman investigation on the canvas oil painting ‘Rebecca at the well’ of Neapolitan anonymous

Abstract

In this work, a micro-Raman spectroscopic investigation was carried out in order to identify the pigments used in the canvas oil painting 'Rebecca at the well', which is preserved in MAON museum in Rende, southern Italy. The artwork's history is unknown, and no scientific investigation was performed on it before. Art historians believe that the painting was created in the XVIII century by an artist of the Neapolitan school. Raman spectra were collected by a Jobin Yvon micro-Raman LABRAM apparatus, with a He-Ne laser (632.8 nm) as excitation source. The main original pigments were identified and modern pigments like yellow-orange chrome and phthalocyanine were also found, providing important information about the restoration works and the painting's history.

Analysis of the pigments for smoked mural by confocal micro‐Raman spectroscopy

“…The exutive fragments are from the smoked Mogao Grottoes mural in the cave 71. These fragments were embedded in the epoxy resin and cured for 24 h at room temperature . After drying, the embedded samples were polished with SiC paper (Matador grinding paper P800, P1500, P2000, P3000, P3500).…”

“…Because of the precious cultural heritage, it needs a noninvasive and nondestructive approach to identify the pigments. Raman spectroscopic techniques as an analytical and diagnostic tool is becoming increasingly significant in the investigation of the artworks and antiquities, including medieval manuscripts, hand‐colored prints, ancient roman mortars, murals, prehistoric cave arts and canvas paintings . Particularly, for the pigments of the ancient treasures, the non‐destructivity techniques are applicable on site and have very good spatial resolution and imaging profile .…”

“…Raman spectroscopic techniques as an analytical and diagnostic tool is becoming increasingly significant in the investigation of the artworks and antiquities, including medieval manuscripts, [7,8] hand-colored prints, [9] ancient roman mortars, [10] murals, [11][12][13][14] prehistoric cave arts [15] and canvas paintings. [16] Particularly, for the pigments of the ancient treasures, the non-destructivity techniques are applicable on site and have very good spatial resolution and imaging profile. [17] Furthermore, Raman microscopy can reach the level of examining the single grains and is capable of identifying directly the molecular structure which encompasses both organic and inorganic substances.…”

Characterisation of a portable Raman spectrometer for in situ analysis of art objects

“…In this research field, the technique has successfully been applied for the study of, amongst others, oil paintings [2][3][4], mediaeval manuscripts [5][6][7], ceramics [8][9][10][11], stained glass [12], wall paintings [13,14], rock art [15,16], gemstones [17] or for the analysis of archaeological objects [18]. Surface enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is frequently used for the analysis of dyes [19].…”

The influence of UV–Vis radiation, and oscillations of temperature and relative humidity, on malachite alteration in the presence of different organic binders and varnishes

“…Among other analytical methods, RM is frequently used in the field of the cultural heritage since it is, in fact, an effective tool for the detection of various different inorganic components, such as pigments and minerals, as well as corrosion products . Thus, RM can be used to investigate mural paintings, easel paintings, textiles, ceramics and glass, etc. Moreover, in the case of paintings that have several layers, the technique can provide vibrational information about layers of interest, when analysing the cross section of a sample.…”