Figure 2

From the origin to the present of paintings. To understand the context of (A) the Musas I and Musas II oil paintings, this study includes information of (B) the probable mines from which the minerals were extracted for the pigments’ elaboration used in the paintings, (C) the trade routes that took them to Milan, where the artist Carlo Ferrario created the artworks, inspired by classical iconographic representations such as those established by Cesare Ripa (D). Subsequently, we discover that the works were transported to Costa Rica by sea (E) from the port of Genoa to Puerto Limón, (F) where they were subsequently transferred by rail to the National Theater of Costa Rica, in the country’s capital, San José. There, those paintings (G) still decorate the Theater and are exposed to weather conditions that differ from those in Europe. This difference in the environment surrounding the paintings has led to their present deterioration, also produced by the presence of contrasting microorganisms (H). The figure was created by the authors following what is described in the Supplementary Information and using the following computer tools: Adobe Illustrator, version number 27.1 (https://www.adobe.com/la/products/illustrator.html) and Adobe Photoshop, version number 23.3.2 (https://www.adobe.com/la/products/photoshop.html).