Origin, composition and stability of copper pigments in wall paintings

Blue and green copper pigments occur in a wide range of chemically close, although mineralogically different species, which makes their proper identification nontrivial. Furthermore, they can be of various origins – natural, artificial or formed as a result of corrosion of another copper pigment. The degradation of copper pigments is a serious problem in case of artworks exposed to corrosive environment, such as wall paintings or exterior stone polychromes. In this paper, we document the variability of copper pigments used in history on examples of selected wall paintings. The problem of origin and stability of copper pigments in wall paintings is solved using advanced microanalytical investigation of paint layers together with the laboratory experiments. Microanalytical features documenting natural or artificial origin of copper pigments as well as their secondary changes caused by corrosive environment are shown and discussed