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Abstract
This wall paintings technology study in Xialu Temple was carried out by in situ investigations and laboratory analysis. The techniques used to analyze pigments, ground/white preparations, and binding media were: optical microscopy carried out with visible reflected light and ultraviolet light; polarized light microscopy; micro-Raman spectroscopy; micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; and scanning electron microscopy. The characterization of pigments, including the discovery of two rare organic pigments, improves knowledge about traditional Tibetan paintings. The analysis of the binding media and different types of ground/white preparations (asbestos, kaolin, and illite) allowed us to identify different stratigraphic compositions. Our findings indicate that the study areas were painted during at least four different time periods.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their thanks to The Palace Museum, The Cultural Relics Bureau of Tibet Autonomous Region, World Monuments Fund (WMF), and The Cultural Relics Bureau of Shigatse, who have contributed much to the research about the paintings of Xialu Temple. Thanks to Project No. 11179024 supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China. Thanks also to Shang Guohua for arranging the whole investigation in Tibet and Luo Wenhua for advisory discussion. The RM analysis was done by Cheng Xiaolin in the conservation lab of the National Museum of China. The SEM analysis was done by Yang Wenyan and Wang Rong in The State Key Laboratory of Tribology (SKLT) at Tsinghua University. The analysis of cross sections, μ-FTIR, and PLM were done by Lei Yong and Ma Yue in The Palace Museum, Beijing. Thanks also to Mélodie Bonnat and her friend, for corrections to the English.
