Abstract
Only a few scientific evidences for the use of Egyptian blue in Early Medieval wall paintings in Central and Southern Europe have been reported so far. The monochrome blue fragment discussed here belongs to the second church building of St. Peter above Gratsch (South Tyrol, Northern Italy, fifth/sixth century A.D.). Beyond cuprorivaite and carbon black (underpainting), 26 accessory minerals down to trace levels were detected by means of Raman microspectroscopy, providing unprecedented insights into the raw materials blend and conversion reactions during preparation, application, and ageing of the pigment. In conjunction with archaeological evidences for the manufacture of Egyptian blue in Cumae and Liternum and the concordant statements of the antique Roman writers Vitruvius and Pliny the Elder, natural impurities of the quartz sand speak for a pigment produced at the northern Phlegrean Fields (Campania, Southern Italy). Chalcocite (and chalcopyrite) suggest the use of a sulphidic copper ore, and water-insoluble salts a mixed-alkaline flux in the form of plant ash. Not fully reacted quartz crystals partly intergrown with cuprorivaite and only minimal traces of silicate glass portend solid-state reactions predominating the chemical reactions during synthesis, while the melting of the raw materials into glass most likely played a negligible role.
Highlights
According to ancient Greek and Roman writers (Theophrastus, Vitruvius and Pliny the Elder), Egyptian blue, the first artificial pigment of mankind, was invented in Egypt, its name
Heterogeneous assemblage, the examined synthesised pigment depicts the mineralogy of the raw materials and includes indicators for transformation reactions during production, application and ageing
A potential comparison of the results presented here with corresponding blue pigments from Late Antique and Medieval wall paintings in South Tyrol, for example the Carolingian murals in the church of St
Summary
According to ancient Greek and Roman writers (Theophrastus, Vitruvius and Pliny the Elder), Egyptian blue, the first artificial pigment of mankind, was invented in Egypt, its name. Area-covering Raman microspectroscopic imaging[43] with a spot size of around one micrometre enabled the identification of 26 minerals (beyond three main components, 23 traces at the subpercent and sub-permille levels) further than cuprorivaite and carbon black, suggestive of type and source of the raw materials, and of chemical reactions occurring during pigment manufacture and application as well as ageing of the pictorial layer Such individual insights into the plethora of phases and the specific history of the Egyptian blue in question represent a paradigm shift in the two-hundred-year research h istory[15, 44]
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