Abstract

ARCINIEGA-CORONA, Armando; MELENDEZ GARCIA, Daniel; MARTINEZ CAMACHO, Fernanda  and  TELLEZ CRUZ, Perla. Pigmet Identification of a Mural Painting in the Former Convent of Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. Intervención (Méx. DF) [online]. 2021, vol.12, n.24, pp.139-173.  Epub Sep 26, 2022. ISSN 2007-249X.  https://doi.org/10.30763/intervencion.253.v2n24.32.2021.

The following RESEARCH ARTICLE discusses the application of non-invasive and non-destructive analytical techniques to study the materials used in a mural painting from the first decorative stage at the former convent of Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, in Oaxaca, Mexico. This convent was built between 1544 and 1545 by Dominican friars, and the study is part of the restoration project for this heritage site and its ornamental finishes impacted by the earthquake of September 7th, 2017. The study focuses on characterizing the pictorial palette of the mural using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and digital microscopy and colorimetry to record the colors of the newly revealed mural painting. The results indicated that very costly pigments with a high level of quality and durability (such as cinnabar or vermilion, orpiment, and bone black) had been used, which speaks to the historic and material importance of the decorations in the building.

Keywords : mural painting; pigments; x-ray fluorescence; conservation; 16^th century convent.