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Table 1 Summary of the main findings revealing the use of materials in Hexi painting

From: Hexi painting on Xitian Fanjing, a Qing imperial Buddhist temple in Beijing, China: technology revealed by analytical approaches (an initial report)

Layer

Color

Pigment/dye/foil

Method

Ground coat layer

Light grey/brownish

Quartz (SiO2)

Anorthite [Ca(Al2Si2O8)]

XRD

Blue paint layer

Sky blue

Indigo (C16H10N2O2)

Raman

White paint layer

White

Chalk (CaCO3)

Raman

Gold-colored layer

Golden

Gold-silver (quite possibly 76Au:24Ag, wt%)

EDX

Other colors on Hexi painting

White

Lead white (2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2)

EDX, Raman

Dark emerald green

Atacamite [Cu2(OH)3Cl]

EDX, XRD

Dark red

Hematite (α-Fe2O3)

Raman

Black

Carbon black (C)

Raman