Use of in situ and confocal Raman spectroscopy to study the nature and distribution of carotenoids in brown patinas from a deteriorated wall painting in Marcus Lucretius House (Pompeii)

Abstract

Colonisation of wall paintings by microorganisms and other organisms is a well-known problematic phenomenon. Besides taxonomic identification of the biodeteriogen, it is essential to evaluate the consequences of the colonisation, e.g., unsightly coloured patinas. This work proposes new methodology for characterisation of the nature of the main carotenoids and their distribution in brown stains or patinas of a deteriorated wall painting on the north wall of the atrium of Marcus Lucretius House (Pompeii, Italy). Characterisation of the brown patinas and surrounding areas (plaster and polychromy) from the wall painting started with in situ screening using, mainly, a portable Raman instrument with a handheld FTIR (DRIFTS sampling interface) in order to select the sampling areas suitable for further analysis in the laboratory. Two wall painting fragments were then analysed in the laboratory in two steps. First, microscopic observations (SEM and phase-contrast microscopy) were used to determine whether biodeteriogens were present in the samples. In a second step, confocal Raman microscopy (785 and 514 nm excitation lasers) was used to characterise the main biogenic compounds of the brown stains. Because of the resonance Raman effect (514 nm excitation laser), it was possible to obtain reliable Raman features to assign not only the nature of the main biogenic pigments (carotenoids) present in the stains, but also their spatial conformation. Moreover, Raman confocal applications, for example, Raman imaging and depth profiling were also used in a first attempt to determine the distribution of biosynthesised carotenoids in the stains, and to determine the thickness of the brown patinas.