Micro-spectroscopic study of late 19th-early 20th century tube paints

0558089 - ÚACH 2023 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Garrappa, Silvia - Frøysaker, T. - Streeton, N. L. W. - Hradil, David - Platania, E. - Beltinger, K. - Caruso, F.
Micro-spectroscopic study of late 19th-early 20th century tube paints.
Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy. Roč. 279, OCT (2022), č. článku 121414. ISSN 0584-8539
Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) StrategieAV21/6
Program: StrategieAV
Institutional support: RVO:61388980
Keywords : Metal carboxylates * Micro-ATR-FTIR * Micro-Raman * Micro-XRPD * Pigments * Zinc stearate
OECD category: Analytical chemistry
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2022.121414

Many issues in the conservation of paintings from the early modern period are still unresolved due to lack of information on paints from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in particular their production, formulations, and later degradation processes. The inconsistency of the names that paint manufacturers chose for their products furthermore compounds the challenges faced by conservators and chemists wishing to study them. This paper addresses a number of these issues through investigations of commercial tube oil paints from a paint box owned by the Norwegian painter Harriet Backer (1845–1932). Samples were analyzed using a multi-instrumental approach. Micro-attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy – supported by micro-X-ray powder diffraction – allowed the identification of binders, pigments, and extenders. The data highlight the use of materials that were new at the time and not reported in the manufacturer's catalog. Furthermore, zinc stearate has been detected for the first time. Its detection and the absence of any zinc-based pigments confirms that zinc stearate was already used as dispersing agent in paint formulations at that time.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0331889