Vol. 27 No. 1 (2019)
Articles

The characterisation of paint binders in the polychromies and gildings of the Gandharan artworks

Ilaria Bonaduce
Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Italy
Anna Lluveras Tenorio
Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Italy
Alessia Andreotti
Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Italy
Sibilla Orsini
Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Italy
Maria Perla Colombini
Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Italy
Marialaura Dilillo
Fondazione pisana per la scienza, ONLUS, Pisa, Italy
Liam Andrew McDonnell
Fondazione pisana per la scienza, ONLUS, Pisa, Italy

Published 2019-10-29

How to Cite

Bonaduce, I., Lluveras Tenorio, A., Andreotti, A., Orsini, S., Colombini, M. P., Dilillo, M., & McDonnell, L. A. (2019). The characterisation of paint binders in the polychromies and gildings of the Gandharan artworks. Restauro Archeologico, 27(1), 82–89. https://doi.org/10.13128/RA-25130

Abstract

In a polychrome artefact, coloured paint layers are applied on architectural elements or sculptures. Paint layers are made up of the colour, which is most typically an inorganic pigment and, with the exception of frescos, an organic binder, which enables the pigment to be dispersed and applied with a brush. From an analytical point of view the characterisation of organic paint binders is very challenging: the organic matter represents a very small amount of the total weight of the sample which is very small and aged. In this paper we describe the analytical approach applied for the characterisation of samples collected from a selection Gandhara polychromies. The analytical strategies and techniques employed are described and examples of the results obtained are presented.

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