Colonial panel paintings constitute an essential part of Latin-American cultural heritage. Their study is vital for understanding the manufacturing process, including its evolution in history, as well as its authorship, dating and other information significant to art history and conservation purposes. Raman spectroscopy supplies a non-destructive characterization tool, which can be implemented for in situ analysis, via portable equipment. Specific methodologies must be developed, comprising the elaboration of reference panel paintings using techniques and materials similar to those of the analysed period, as well as the determination of the best analysis conditions for different pigments and ground preparations. In order to do so, Raman spectroscopy at 532, 785 and 1064 nm, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and a helium-Raman system were applied to a panel painting reference, in combination with X-ray fluorescence analysis. We were able to establish the analysis conditions for a number of sixteenth century pigments and dyes, and other relevant components of panel paintings from this period, 1064 nm Raman and SERS being the most successful. The acquired spectra contain valuable specific information for their identification and they conform a very useful database that can be applied to the analysis of Ibero-American Colonial paintings. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Raman spectroscopy in art and archaeology’.

En este artículo se analiza el color azul en ocho mantos de la Virgen pintados en obra novohispana de los siglos xvi y xvii. Se estudian los distintos pigmentos azules de la paleta novohispana y se aborda el tema de su uso en capas pictóricas al óleo; se discuten asimismo las particularidades en el empleo de los materiales y los sistemas de aplicación del color utilizados por reconocidos pintores para la creación de uno de los atributos más importantes en la representación de la Virgen María: su manto celeste. La relación color-significado constata la intención del artista por construir la idea de lo sagrado a través del material. En este trabajo se combina el estudio histórico-artístico de la obra con el análisis científico de muestras de pintura mediante microscopia óptica y microscopia electrónica de barrido.

The famous Maya blue, a nanostructured hybrid organic–inorganic material, has been the subject of numerous studies since its discovery in 1931. These mainly focused on mural paintings, manuscripts, cultural artifacts from ancient Mesoamerica, and notable examples of syncretic art produced in early colonial times in New Spain as a result of the convergence of Mesoamerican and European traditions. This article reports on the identification of Maya blue in the wall painting programs of four mendicant monasteries founded in Southern and Central Mexico during the sixteenth century. It discusses the pictorial effects, painting mixtures, and artistic inventiveness of indigenous artists who expressed themselves through the quality of color and the meanings of materials by using Maya blue in Christian images. This article proposes that Maya blue reappeared in the palette of local artists in the second half of the sixteenth century, as a traditional technology that integrated the complex worldview of Mesoamerican cultures and their knowledge of its extraction, production, and use in the art of painting.