Raman/XRF/EDX microanalysis of 2nd-century stuccoes from Domus Valeriorum in Rome

• Published in: Journal of cultural heritage 2019-05, Vol.37, p.225-232
• Main Authors: Almaviva, Salvatore, Lecci, Stefano, Puiu, Adriana, Spizzichino, Valeria, Fantoni, Roberta, Falconieri, Mauro, Gagliardi, Serena, Chiari, Massimo, Mazzinghi, Anna, Ruberto, Chiara, Casaril, Giacomo, Bandini, Giovanna, Morretta, Simona
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Domus Valeriorum; Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence; Pigments; Raman spectroscopy; X-ray fluorescence imaging
• ISSN: 1296-2074; 1778-3674
• DOI: 10.1016/j.culher.2018.11.004

•2nd-century roman stucco fragments studied with Raman – EDX – XRF.•The synergic use of these techniques allowed to identify all materials and pigments.•The politeness of materials and pictorial remains witness the richness of the Domus. 2nd-century stucco fragments from the roman Domus Valeriorum were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy (Raman), imaging X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) in order to identify the pigments and materials thereon. Cinnabar, malachite, hematite, goethite and Egyptian blue were detected by the synergistic use of these techniques whereas calcite, with some traces of gypsum, was detected as materials for the bas-relief figures and the pictorial background. This non-destructive characterization is the first carried out on the Domus Valeriorum finds. The multi-analytical approach highlighted the complementarity and versatility of these techniques, suitable for both laboratory and in-situ analysis, on macroscopic or microscopic fragments without preliminary manipulation.