Characterization of Pigments in a Wall Painting Fragment from the Archaeological Site of Cava Ranieri’s Villa 6, Terzigno (Italy)

Spectroscopic techniques were employed to analyze the pigments of a fragment of a stray wall painting from the archaeological excavation in Terzigno, Italy, located approximately six kilometers north of Pompeii. X-ray fluorescence and Raman spectrometry primarily revealed the presence of iron-based pigments—specifically, red and yellow colors composed of hematite and light ochre, respectively. Additionally, calcite and quartz were identified through optical stratigraphy. Compared to our previous findings from wall paintings in Pompeii, infrared spectroscopy and staining procedures strongly suggested that the painting mixture from Terzigno did not contain organic binders. This indicates that a fresco painting technique was likely used.

Keywords: Wall Paintings, Painting Composition, Fresco, Spectroscopy.

Abbreviations: FT-IR: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, XRF: X-ray fluorescence, FWHM: full width at half-maximum.