Research on the Organic Binders in Archaeological Wall Paintings

Abstract

Wall painting realized using organic binders is the oldest form of parietal painting and precedes the birth of the affresco by about 20,000 years. This paper reports the results obtained from the main studies in the field of archaeological wall paintings. The attention was paid to the study of organic binders used for the application of the color, as well as on the instrumental techniques chosen to obtain such information. Different techniques can be used for the study of organic material in archeological paintings: non-destructive techniques, which can be applied directly in situ without sampling, and laboratory micro-invasive techniques for a more in-depth characterization. Among these, the chromatographic techniques represent a potential tool to acquire as much information as possible about chemical composition of binders.