Aiding the cleaning of four 19th-century Tsimshian house posts: investigation of museum-applied surface coatings and original polychromy

Pozzi, Federica; Basso, Elena; Alderson, Samantha; Levinson, Judith; Neiman, Madeleine; Alcalá, Soraya

doi:10.1186/s40494-021-00513-4

Heritage Science

Table 2 Summary of results obtained from the scientific analysis of scrapings and cross sections removed from areas of polychromy. Portable XRF analysis was also performed non-invasively on select colored areas. Layer numbering in cross sections increases from bottom to top

From: Aiding the cleaning of four 19th-century Tsimshian house posts: investigation of museum-applied surface coatings and original polychromy

AMNH Catalog No.	Sample	Description	SEM/EDS Results^*	Transmission FTIR and Raman Results
16/565	S3	Green paint over tan from face of bear holding killer whale	Gypsum, calcite, barite, traces of Fe-rich compounds [layer 2, green paint] / Lead white, barite, traces of Fe- and Ca-rich compounds [layer 1, tan paint]	Hydrocerussite, gypsum, calcite, barite, quartz, Prussian blue [FTIR]
16/565	S4	Green paint from ear of bear at top of pole	Calcite, barite, traces of Fe-oxides-hydroxides, lead white, lead chloride, fluorite [layer 1, green paint]	Gypsum, calcite, barite, quartz, Prussian blue [FTIR]
16/566	S2	Green paint over tan from human face at bottom of pole	Lead carbonate [layer 3, above green paint] / Calcite, traces of barite and Fe-rich compounds [layer 2, green paint] / Lead white, barite, traces of calcite, quartz, and Fe-rich compounds [layer 1, tan paint]	Gypsum, calcite, barite, quartz, Prussian blue [FTIR]
16/567	S4	Darker green paint from leg of frog	Lead sulfate [layer 2, above green paint] / Calcite, barite, traces of silicates, Fe-, Zn-, and Pb-rich compounds [layer 1, green paint]	Gypsum, calcite, barite, quartz, Prussian blue [FTIR]
16/567	S5	Lighter green paint from leg of frog	Lead white, calcite, barite, traces of Mg-, Al-, Si-, K-, and Fe-rich compounds [layer 1, green paint]	Hydrocerussite, gypsum, calcite, barite, quartz, Prussian blue [FTIR]
16/568	S4	Red paint from woodpecker at top of pole, “intact” area	Vermilion [layer 2, red paint] / Vermilion, lead white, barite, traces of Fe-rich compounds [layer 1, red paint]	Hydrocerussite, cerussite, barite, starch [FTIR] / Vermilion [Raman]
	S5	Red paint over filled crack from woodpecker at top of pole, “disturbed” area	Vermilion, lead white, barite, traces of gypsum and iron oxides/hydroxides [layer 1, red paint]	Hydrocerussite, cerussite, gypsum, barite, starch [FTIR] / Vermilion [Raman]
	S6	Black paint from bear’s eyebrow, “intact” area	Carbon black, gypsum, calcite, Fe-oxides/hydroxides [layer 2, black paint] / Carbon black, lead chloride, calcite, barite, quartz, alumina, traces of Fe- and Zn-rich compounds [layer 1, black paint]	Hydrocerussite, gypsum, calcite, barite, quartz [FTIR] / Carbon-based black [Raman]
	S7	Black paint over filled crack from bear’s eyebrow, “disturbed” area	Carbon black, calcite, quartz, alumina [layer 2, black paint] / Carbon black, bone or ivory black, zinc sulfide, calcite, barite, lead white, traces of Fe-rich compounds [layer 1, black paint]	Hydrocerussite, gypsum, calcite, barite, quartz, starch [FTIR] / Carbon-based black [Raman]
	S8	Green paint from eye of standing wolf/bear	Calcium sulfate, possibly gypsum [layer 2, above green paint] / Calcite, barite, traces of Fe-rich compounds [layer 1, green paint]	Gypsum, calcite, barite, quartz, Prussian blue [FTIR] / Calcite, barite, Prussian blue [Raman]
	S9	Green paint from eye of human figure	Calcium sulfate, possibly gypsum [layer 2, above green paint] / Calcite, barite, Prussian blue, traces of Pb-rich compounds, possibly lead chlorides [layer 1, green paint]	Gypsum, calcite, barite, quartz, Prussian blue [FTIR] / Calcite, barite, Prussian blue [Raman]

^*Compounds listed in the SEM/EDS column were inferred from co-localization of elements

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