Studio della tecnica pittorica dei dipinti murali arcaici dell'area dell'ipogeo di C. Genucius Clepsina

Reports on the scientific study of an Etruscan mural painting, dating back to the orientalizing period. Micro-destructive spectroscopic analysis of pigmented fragments has provided some novel information about the Etruscan painting technique. The painting substrate consists of a mixture of finely ground volcanic stone and sedimentary calcareous stone. The substrate is made up of two distinct layers: an outermost layer enriched in calcareous component is superimposed on a lower containing volcanic stone. The orange pigment is hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) while the dark red pigment is a mixture of hematite, maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3) and pyrolusite (beta-MnO2). The white pigment is calcite (CaCO3). Notably, from the painting layer morphology it appears that the pigments were applied in a mixture of lime water. By infrared spectroscopic technique, no trace of organic binder was found.