Color Paintings of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Royal Residence: An Analytical Study

Abstract

Color paintings have much aesthetic value and historical importance. This study examined the color paintings of the east pillar of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s Great Hall. The pillars in interiors of ancient buildings were painted with a layer of red lacquer. The painted pillars are valuable because they symbolize the highest rank of a building’s hierarchy and the esteemed status of the owner. In this study, we investigated pigments, inorganic fillers, and adhesives used in the color paintings of the royal residence. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, polarized light microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy were used to investigate the pigments of the paintings. Pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py–GC/MS) was used to classify the composition of adhesives. The results showed that the painted pigments included vermilion (HgS), graphite (C), white lead (2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2), and lead red (Pb3O4). The Py–GC/MS showed possible presence of tung oil and flour in the mortar. The X-ray diffraction demonstrated the presence of limewater and brick dust (gismondine, dolomite). The analyses of pigment, inorganic fillers, and adhesives of the Taiping royal palace paintings provide information on the long-standing preservation of the paintings.