Fig. 2: Results of optical microscopy and SEM on Sample Red 3 and Sample Blue 1. | npj Heritage Science

Fig. 2: Results of optical microscopy and SEM on Sample Red 3 and Sample Blue 1.

From: A multidisciplinary study of unusual red and blue lake pigments used in fifteenth-century Swedish wall paintings

Fig. 2

a Sample Red 3 embedded paint cross section. a(i) shows the mortar with aggregates (layer 1), thin slurry on the top (layer 2) followed by red paint layer pigmented with the fibrous red lake pigment (layer 3). a(ii) shows the same paint cross section under UV light, the top red layer (layer 3) exhibits a very noticeable orangey red fluorescence typical of madder lake pigments. a(iii) backscatter electron image shows the mortar with aggregates (layer 1). b Sample Blue 1 embedded paint cross section. b(i) shows the slurry (layer 1) followed by blue paint layer pigmented with the fibrous blue lake pigment (layer 2). b(ii) shows the same paint cross section under UV light, the blue fibrous lake pigment shows a dull bluish fluorescence. b(iii) backscatter electron image shows the slurry (layer 1) and blue paint layer with fibrous blue lake pigment (layer 2).

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