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Microchemical Study of Pigments and Binders in Polychrome Relics from Maiji Mountain Grottoes in Northwestern China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 August 2016

Luyao Liu ,
Wei Shen ,
Bingjian Zhang  and
Qian Ma
Luyao Liu
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China
Wei Shen
Affiliation:
School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212003, Jiangsu Province, P.R. China Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
Bingjian Zhang*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310028, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China
Qian Ma
Affiliation:
Maiji Mountain Grottoes Art Research Institute, Tianshui 741000, Gansu Province, P.R. China
*
*Corresponding author. [email protected]
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Abstract

In this study, an integrated analytical method was developed to investigate the composition of both the inorganic pigments and organic binders of polychrome relics in Maiji Mountain Grottoes in northwestern China. Cross-sections of each sample were prepared at the beginning of the study, and all experiments were carried out on these cross-sections. Polychromic structures were revealed by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy-backscattered electron imaging. Inorganic materials were determined by using SEM coupled with an energy dispersive spectrometer and μ-Raman spectrometer, whereas organic materials were identified by staining techniques and highly sensitive and specific immunofluorescence microscopy. Data showed that the red colors are attributed to one or two pigments of red ochre, cinnabar, and minium; the blue pigment is natural lazurite; the green pigment is ascribed to atacamite; the white color is attributed to potassium feldspar; and the black surface is formed by the discoloration of minium to plattnerite under the influence of environmental factors. Regarding organic binders used in painting and preparation layers, mammalian animal glue and chicken egg white were both found alone or in mixture. Finally, the conclusion is made that the Secco technique is employed in polychrome relics from Maiji Mountain Grottoes.

Keywords

Maiji Mountain Grottoespolychrome relicspigmentsbinderssecco fresco
Type
Materials Applications
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 22 , Issue 4 , August 2016 , pp. 845 - 856
Copyright
© Microscopy Society of America 2016 

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