Degradation Products Assessment of the Wooden Painted Surfaces from a XVIIth Heritage Monastery

Currently, approximately 70% of paintings in museum collections are affected by the presence metallic soaps, evidenced spherical globules visible on surface paintings. They responsible for altering paintings’ through processes such as exfoliation and cracking, or even form “skins” that appear pictorial layers. The objective this study is investigation icon from Saint Mary Monastery, Techirghiol, Romania, which underwent some restoration procedures. This so important/significant, due to efflorescence correlated with conversion fatty acids, palmitic acid, stearic acid azelaic so-called soaps reaction metals contained pigments painting layer binder. investigated strongly zinc carboxylate aggregation, this, sample was embedded polyester resin obtained cross-section, after polishing, microscopic techniques (optical microscopy (OM), stereomicroscopy, scanning electron electronic dispersion spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, gas-chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) good agreement data literature. potential result identification quantification soap generated a white deposit (probably salts, kind efflorescence), binding medium metal ionomer, crystallization saturated polymerization oil. Six (calcite, lithopone, carbon black, red ochre, vermilion, ultramarine), present sublayers samples were identified.