XRF and Raman Spectroscopic Study of Wall Polychromes in the Saltworks Castle in Wieliczka

Anna Klisińska-Kopacz, Pamela Grajny-Brzezińska, Tomasz Wilkosz, Michał Obarzanowski, Klementyna Ochniak-Dudek, Julio M. del Hoyo Meléndez

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive spectroscopic investigation of polychrome wall decorations recently uncovered in the Northern Wing of the Saltworks Castle in Wieliczka, Poland. Believed to date from the 16th to 19th centuries, these multilayered wall paintings—remarkable for their secular context and heraldic motifs—were examined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Raman spectroscopy (RS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The analysis focused on pigments and binders, confirming the use of 17th-century materials such as smalt, vermilion, malachite, lead-tin yellow, and protein-based binding media. The findings validate historical assumptions about the chronology and function of these rooms.

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IMEKO-Metroarchaeo-2025-047.pdf

DOI

10.21014/tc26-2025.047

IMEKO TC

TC26 - Metrology for Cultural Heritage

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