Investigating the Material Composition and Degradation of Wall Paintings at Müstair Monastery Using a Mobile Multi-Spectroscopic System
The conservation of cultural heritage requires advanced analytical tools to assess historic materials. In the context of the IPERION-CH project, a mobile multi-spectroscopic characterisation system for the analysis of cultural heritage materials, designated SYSPECTRAL, has been developed. This syste...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Photonics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/12/5/489 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850126421086699520 |
|---|---|
| author | Xueshi Bai Patrick Cassitti Aude Brebant Didier Brissaud Duixiong Sun Yaopeng Yin Vincent Detalle |
| author_facet | Xueshi Bai Patrick Cassitti Aude Brebant Didier Brissaud Duixiong Sun Yaopeng Yin Vincent Detalle |
| author_sort | Xueshi Bai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The conservation of cultural heritage requires advanced analytical tools to assess historic materials. In the context of the IPERION-CH project, a mobile multi-spectroscopic characterisation system for the analysis of cultural heritage materials, designated SYSPECTRAL, has been developed. This system integrates Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), Laser-Induced Fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy, and reflectance spectroscopy. The first application of SYSPECTRAL in a real-world setting was carried out at Müstair Monastery (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983) for wall paintings. In this study, stratigraphic analysis using LIBS revealed lead- and iron-based pigments in black and red hues, suggesting pigment degradation and restoration interventions. The presence of titanium in white hues indicated possible retouching. Furthermore, the presence of Egyptian blue in blue hues was identified through a combination of elemental and reflectance spectral analysis, underscoring the potential of SYSPECTRAL for heritage conservation. This approach offers comprehensive material characterization with minimal impact, a finding that is of particular significance in the context of heritage conservation. The subsequent phase of research will extend the application of SYSPECTRAL to a wider range of heritage sites, with the objective of enhancing the spectral databases and refining the analytical techniques for the purpose of improving cultural heritage conservation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d3c8b88cf5b94ca6a15e8f1e8b48a42a |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2304-6732 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Photonics |
| spelling | doaj-art-d3c8b88cf5b94ca6a15e8f1e8b48a42a2025-08-20T02:33:55ZengMDPI AGPhotonics2304-67322025-05-0112548910.3390/photonics12050489Investigating the Material Composition and Degradation of Wall Paintings at Müstair Monastery Using a Mobile Multi-Spectroscopic SystemXueshi Bai0Patrick Cassitti1Aude Brebant2Didier Brissaud3Duixiong Sun4Yaopeng Yin5Vincent Detalle6Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (C2RMF), 14 Quai François-Mitterrand, 75001 Paris, FranceArchaeological Service, Canton of Grisons, CH-7000 Chur, SwitzerlandDépartement Génie Electrique, Institut Sciences et Technique, CY Cergy-Paris Université, 5 Mail Gay Lussac, 95031 Neuville sur Oise, FranceLaboratoire de Recherche des Monuments Historiques, 29 Rue de Paris, 77420 Champs-sur-Marne, FranceKey Laboratory of Atomic and Molecular Physics & Functional Materials of Gansu Province, College of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaNational Research Center for Conservation of Ancient Wall Paintings and Earthen Sites, Conservation Institute, Dunhuang Academy, Dunhuang 736200, ChinaCentre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (C2RMF), 14 Quai François-Mitterrand, 75001 Paris, FranceThe conservation of cultural heritage requires advanced analytical tools to assess historic materials. In the context of the IPERION-CH project, a mobile multi-spectroscopic characterisation system for the analysis of cultural heritage materials, designated SYSPECTRAL, has been developed. This system integrates Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), Laser-Induced Fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy, and reflectance spectroscopy. The first application of SYSPECTRAL in a real-world setting was carried out at Müstair Monastery (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983) for wall paintings. In this study, stratigraphic analysis using LIBS revealed lead- and iron-based pigments in black and red hues, suggesting pigment degradation and restoration interventions. The presence of titanium in white hues indicated possible retouching. Furthermore, the presence of Egyptian blue in blue hues was identified through a combination of elemental and reflectance spectral analysis, underscoring the potential of SYSPECTRAL for heritage conservation. This approach offers comprehensive material characterization with minimal impact, a finding that is of particular significance in the context of heritage conservation. The subsequent phase of research will extend the application of SYSPECTRAL to a wider range of heritage sites, with the objective of enhancing the spectral databases and refining the analytical techniques for the purpose of improving cultural heritage conservation.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/12/5/489LIBSmural paintingMOLABstratigraphic analysisMüstair Monastery |
| spellingShingle | Xueshi Bai Patrick Cassitti Aude Brebant Didier Brissaud Duixiong Sun Yaopeng Yin Vincent Detalle Investigating the Material Composition and Degradation of Wall Paintings at Müstair Monastery Using a Mobile Multi-Spectroscopic System Photonics LIBS mural painting MOLAB stratigraphic analysis Müstair Monastery |
| title | Investigating the Material Composition and Degradation of Wall Paintings at Müstair Monastery Using a Mobile Multi-Spectroscopic System |
| title_full | Investigating the Material Composition and Degradation of Wall Paintings at Müstair Monastery Using a Mobile Multi-Spectroscopic System |
| title_fullStr | Investigating the Material Composition and Degradation of Wall Paintings at Müstair Monastery Using a Mobile Multi-Spectroscopic System |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating the Material Composition and Degradation of Wall Paintings at Müstair Monastery Using a Mobile Multi-Spectroscopic System |
| title_short | Investigating the Material Composition and Degradation of Wall Paintings at Müstair Monastery Using a Mobile Multi-Spectroscopic System |
| title_sort | investigating the material composition and degradation of wall paintings at mustair monastery using a mobile multi spectroscopic system |
| topic | LIBS mural painting MOLAB stratigraphic analysis Müstair Monastery |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/12/5/489 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xueshibai investigatingthematerialcompositionanddegradationofwallpaintingsatmustairmonasteryusingamobilemultispectroscopicsystem AT patrickcassitti investigatingthematerialcompositionanddegradationofwallpaintingsatmustairmonasteryusingamobilemultispectroscopicsystem AT audebrebant investigatingthematerialcompositionanddegradationofwallpaintingsatmustairmonasteryusingamobilemultispectroscopicsystem AT didierbrissaud investigatingthematerialcompositionanddegradationofwallpaintingsatmustairmonasteryusingamobilemultispectroscopicsystem AT duixiongsun investigatingthematerialcompositionanddegradationofwallpaintingsatmustairmonasteryusingamobilemultispectroscopicsystem AT yaopengyin investigatingthematerialcompositionanddegradationofwallpaintingsatmustairmonasteryusingamobilemultispectroscopicsystem AT vincentdetalle investigatingthematerialcompositionanddegradationofwallpaintingsatmustairmonasteryusingamobilemultispectroscopicsystem |