Premium
Investigation of the pigment use in the Tomb of the Reliefs and other tombs in the Etruscan Banditaccia Necropolis
Author(s) -
Alfeld Matthias,
Baraldi Cecilia,
Gamberini Maria Cristina,
Walter Philippe
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
x‐ray spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.447
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1097-4539
pISSN - 0049-8246
DOI - 10.1002/xrs.2951
Subject(s) - calcite , goethite , pigment , geology , archaeology , art , mineralogy , chemistry , history , visual arts , organic chemistry , adsorption
The pigment use in the Tomb of the Reliefs (fourth century BC) and four other tombs (seventh to fourth century BC) in the Etruscan Banditaccia Necropolis near Cerveteri, Italy, has been investigated. We made use of X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) and Raman spot analysis, XRF imaging, infrared luminescence and photography supported by Dstretch contrast enhancement. We identified the use of haematite, goethite, calcite, carbon black, manganese oxide, Tyrian purple, and Egyptian blue, with the last three only found under the central burial place of the Tomb of the Reliefs. The tuff in which these tombs were cut proved to be a significant challenge for XRF analysis as the signals of Ca, Mn, and Fe vary strongly due to the heterogeneity of the stone, so that it is difficult to distinguish between signals from the tuff and the pigments. Finally, we show that lightweight instruments transported in check‐in luggage may not answer all questions on pigment use but do provide additional insights.