RAMAN VIBRATIONAL STUDY OF PIGMENTS WITH PATRIMONIAL INTEREST FOR THE CHILEAN CULTURAL HERITAGE

Abstract

Seven pigments of patrimonial interest for the Chilean artwork were analyzed by means of Raman spectroscopy by using the 632.8 nm excitation laser line. Samples were supplied by the National Center of Conservation and Restoration of Chile (CNCR) in a cooperative effort to determine the exact molecular composition of each pigment. In this contribution we propose to settle the use of the Raman spectroscopy as a method to contribute to the conservation and/or restoration procedures, and thus to the authentication of the works of art. Data collected were compared with published works confirming the reliability of Raman spectroscopy in this field of research.