The origins of mural painting in Ancient Peru: archaeometric preliminary study of the Ventarrón mural paintings, Valle de Lambayeque

Heritage Science

Véronique Wright³  Ignacio Alva Meneses²  Éric Laval¹ 

[1] Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (C2RMF), Palais du Louvre, Paris, France

[2] Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán, Proyecto Arqueológico Cerro Ventarrón, Lambayeque, Peru

[3] Institut Français d’Études Andines (IFEA), UMIFRE 17 MAEDI/CNRS USR 3337, Amérique Latine, Lima, Peru

关键词: Peru;    Archaeometry;    Mural painting;    Color technology;    Pigment;   

Others  :  1229276
DOI  :  10.1186/s40494-015-0059-9

 received in 2014-12-05, accepted in 2015-08-10,  发布年份 2015

【 摘 要 】

Background

Since 2007, the research led on the Huaca Ventarrón site has allowed investigators to discover outstanding wall paintings. These murals are one of the oldest examples of this artistic expression in the Andean area and American continent (4000 BP). Analyses have given indications on the materials and techniques used by the first painters, ancestors of a long pictorial tradition.

Results

Thanks to an archaeometric approach, combining observations and analysis (Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)), it was possible to characterize the colorant materials used in the two constructive sampled phases. These materials are mineral pigments, iron oxides, clays and natural earth, mixed in order to create a wide chromatic scale.

Conclusions

Through this research we were able to obtain the first analytical data concerning such ancient mural paintings. It was very useful to comprehend the emergence of this artistic expression in Peru. These results open new research perspectives as well about the origins of Prehispanic pictorial technology as about conservation of wall-paintings in earthen architecture.

【 授权许可】

   
2015 Wright et al.

【 参考文献 】

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