Photo-catalytic degradation of binding media of ultramarine blue containing paint layers: A new perspective on the phenomenon of “ultramarine disease” in paintings

Rie, E. René de la; Michelin, Anne; Ngako, Manuela; Federico, Eleonora Del; Grosso, Chelsey Del

doi:10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2017.08.002

Cited by 39 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…This phenomenon was also previously confirmed by 3D, SEM microscope, and multivariate results. As reported in the literature (Del Federico et al, 2006;Janssens et al, 2016;René de la Rie et al, 2017), artificial ultramarine blue (PB29) has a significant loss of its blue color when mixed with alkyd resin after light irradiation. This effect is probably due to the chromophoric S-anions release after the opening of the sodalite cages of pigment, leading to the discoloration of the pigment itself.…”

Section: Colorimetric Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 83%

Photodegradation Kinetics of Alkyd Paints: The Influence of Varying Amounts of Inorganic Pigments on the Stability of the Synthetic Binder

et al. 2020

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As the effects of climate change pose an increasing risk of damaging outdoor modern and contemporary artworks’ aesthetic appearance by affecting their mechanical properties and chemical-physical stability, understanding the degradation processes attacking these objects is becoming more and more essential to their conservation. For this purpose, the kinetics of photo-oxidation processes occurring in alkyd paints and their stability in mixtures with different inorganic pigments were investigated. The aim was to characterize the different degradation reactions over time and study the photodegradation kinetics according to different pigments and pigment/binder ratios. This paper describes the degradation behavior of artificial ultramarine blue, hydrated chromium oxide green, and cadmium sulfate yellow pigments mixed with alkyd resin and aged under simulated sunlight exposure for a total of 1,008 h. The analytical techniques used offer complementary information on the characterization of the samples and their aging. Specifically, 3D Optical Microscopy allowed studying morphological and color changes. These results were supported by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Colorimetry analyses, also focused on studying the physical and granulometric characteristics of the pigments in relation to the binder degradation. Finally, qualitative and quantitative analysis was performed by Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared Spectroscopy. To support the obtained results, Multivariate Analysis of microscopic images was carried out with the aim of studying the degradation effects linked to color and texture changes. The obtained results demonstrate that the degradation processes of alkyd resin are influenced by the presence of the different inorganic pigments used and their concentration in the mixtures. This study should contribute as support to the field of conservation-restoration to find suitable protection strategies for paint surfaces against degradation agents.

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Section: Colorimetric Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 83%

Photodegradation Kinetics of Alkyd Paints: The Influence of Varying Amounts of Inorganic Pigments on the Stability of the Synthetic Binder

et al. 2020

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“…The discolouration of ultramarine blue can be generated either by micro-fissures around the pigment particles in the paint layer (resulting from the disintegration of the binder), which scatter the light and make the paint surface appear patchy and whitish [32], or by the destruction of the sodalite cage framework (caused by both alkaline and acidic environment), which in turn triggers the release of the chromophores responsible for the colour [33][34][35].…”

Section: Blue Paintmentioning

confidence: 99%

Picasso’s Acrobat Family in focus: an investigation of materials and techniques of an iconic work in the collection of the Gothenburg Museum of Art

et al. 2020

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The Acrobat Family is one of Pablo Picasso's highly rated works from his Rose Period. The painting was one of the first two works by the artist acquired by the Stein's, and in 1922 it came to Gothenburg Art Museum. In catalogues, the materials used for the work are described as a mix of gouache, pastel, watercolour and Indian ink on cardboard; however, the information is often contradictory and inaccurate. An extensive scientific investigation of the painting was carried out to unravel Picasso's technique, materials and the object's condition. The results indicate that the cardboard is of an acidic nature and the techniques used by the artist are based on different binding media, possibly oil, wax and polysaccharides. Interesting results have been achieved on the discoloured blue areas, where ultramarine blue and Prussian blue are the main components.

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“…The physical deterioration that was suffered by rabbit glue binder in the tempera mock-ups could contribute to the changes in the reflectivity that the paints underwent after the SO 2 test. In fact, De la Rié et al [67] pointed out that the changes in reflectance shown on lapis lazuli model paints after UV ageing were due the micro-cracking suffered in the binder, which improves light scattering. Additionally, the cracking of rabbit glue used as binder on tempera mock-ups was already described previously by other authors; in [23], polygonal cracks were observed in UV-aged rabbit glue-based paints mock-ups that were prepared with azurite of different grain sizes, with this cracking being more intense in paints made with coarser pigments (grain sizes from 63 to 100 µm) than in those made with pigments with smaller grain sizes (<63 µm).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hence, the use of impurity-free synthetic ultramarine instead of (natural) lapis lazuli could be a satisfactory preventive conservation strategy in restoration campaigns. In the literature, previous efforts aimed to obtain acidic-resisting ultramarine pigments by means of a novel two-step silica coating process [70] or by incorporating white lead or amine compounds as light stabilizers [67]. However, these contributions focus on the protection of ultramarine pigments against acid attack and UV light, but not against SO 2 attack.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of a SO2 Rich Atmosphere on Tempera Paint Mock-Ups. Part 1: Accelerated Aging of Smalt and Lapis Lazuli-Based Paints

et al. 2020

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The behavior of historic tempera paints exposed to pollutant gases is an important issue when developing conservation strategies. In this work, binary tempera paint mock-ups that were made with either smalt or lapis lazuli pigments mixed with either rabbit glue or egg yolk binders were exposed to an SO2 accelerated aging test in order to find out more about the forms and mechanisms of alteration resulting from pigment-binder interaction. To this end, spectrophotometry, hyperspectral image analysis, and profilometry were used to study macro-scale, physical changes taking place on the surface of the paints, affecting color, gloss, reflectance, and roughness. Likewise, chemical and mineralogical changes were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), polarized light microscopy (PLM), and scanning electron microscopy with micro-analysis (SEM-EDS), which was also used to visualize micro-texture changes in the paints. The smalt-based tempera showed a higher degree of deterioration than the lapis lazuli-based tempera, in particular a notable whitening related to the precipitation of sulfate-rich salts and to binder and pigment chemical alterations. Moreover, whereas aged egg yolk-based paints showed visible color change due to damage to the oily binder and the pigments, the most evident change in rabbit glue-based paints was binder loss. The alteration suffered by the pigments varied in line with their composition; thus, smalt (blue cobalt-containing glass) grains were more sensitive to SO2 exposure than lapis lazuli-(Na,Ca)8[(S,Cl,SO4,OH)2|(Al6Si6O24)]-crystals. In the smalt grains, the SO2 test caused K+ leaching from the glass matrix, which was detected by means of K/Co ratios, but the lazurite crystals (main component of lapis lazuli) were unaffected (regardless of the binder used in the tempera). The most likely source of the crystallized sulfate rich salts were the impurities that were detected in association with the natural lapis lazuli pigment, i.e., calcite and diopside. Indeed, the precipitation of efflorescences is the main cause of the optical changes found in the smalt- and lapis lazuli-based tempera, in addition to the physical-chemical damage to the binders. The information reported here would be useful for preventive conservation, as well as for art restorers, who are planning work on paintings in which paints of this kind were used.

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Photo-catalytic degradation of binding media of ultramarine blue containing paint layers: A new perspective on the phenomenon of “ultramarine disease” in paintings

Cited by 39 publications

References 24 publications

Photodegradation Kinetics of Alkyd Paints: The Influence of Varying Amounts of Inorganic Pigments on the Stability of the Synthetic Binder

Photodegradation Kinetics of Alkyd Paints: The Influence of Varying Amounts of Inorganic Pigments on the Stability of the Synthetic Binder

Picasso’s Acrobat Family in focus: an investigation of materials and techniques of an iconic work in the collection of the Gothenburg Museum of Art

Effect of a SO2 Rich Atmosphere on Tempera Paint Mock-Ups. Part 1: Accelerated Aging of Smalt and Lapis Lazuli-Based Paints

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