Micro-Raman analysis of mortars and wallpaintings in the Roman villa of Fuente Alamo (Puente Genil, Spain) and identification of the application technique

This paper reports results of ongoing research on wallpaintings in the Roman villa of Fuente Alamo (Puente Genii, Southern Spain). Wall decoration vestiges from an older building stage and a newer one subsequently erected on it were examined. The lack of information about wallpaintings in this villa led us to study the materials constituting the mortars and pigments, and to elucidate the painting technique used in order to facilitate optimal restoration. Paint layers exhibited a wide variety of colours but mainly red, ochre, blue, green, black and white. Pigments included high-quality materials such as Egyptian blue and other, more common elements of the Roman palette such as red and yellow earths, and lime white. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction and Raman microspectroscopy. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.