A group of wall painting fragments discovered at Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, an important Roman archeological site located in the former Roman province of Dacia (Romania), have been investigated with the aim of defining the material composition of their pictorial layers and exploring the pictorial technology used. In order to preserve the integrity of the murals and minimize sampling, an array of non- and micro-invasive techniques has been employed, including X-ray fluorescence, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and hyperspectral imaging. In accordance with previous studies, the identified color palette was mainly based on iron-rich earth pigments (red and yellow ochres, green earth) and carbon-based blacks (soot/charcoal, bone black). Egyptian blue, lazurite, some lead-based pigments, and potentially indigo were also identified (in complex mixtures) on the uppermost paint layers, typically applied a secco over the a fresco background. The presence of expensive pigments and the existence of a red preparatory drawing, documented for the first time in the region, indicate that the original wall paintings had elaborate schemes and, secondly, reflect the patron’s wealth and social status. Hyperspectral imaging was able to retrieve some faded paint layers in certain cases, helping to recover lost decorative details, an indicator of a more complex polychromy compared to what we see today. The obtained results add important contributions to the limited corpus of data regarding the technical know-how of decorative polychrome painting on plaster found in Roman archeological sites in Romania.

The present paper reports the multi-analytical approach for the removal of thick layers of metallic overpaints from a Brancovan iconostasis of the “Holy Trinity” church in Măgureni, România, which was built in 1694. After a restoration procedure at the beginning of the 20th century, the polychrome sculpture of the frame, which was initially gilded with a thin silver foil, was covered with a thick metallic overpaint layer imitating silver and gold. Currently, the conservation project of the church is focused on restoring the original aspect; thus, the overpainting that presented strong oxidation and soiling was removed. The adopted conservation methodology involved physicochemical characterization of the pictorial layers via optical microscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, followed by the removal of the overpaints. The cleaning tests were performed by evaluating several methods in order to find the proper regime that would help preserve as much of the underlying polychrome layers as possible. Based on the tests, it was decided that the best solution was to use laser cleaning for the rough removal of the metallic paint overlayers and finalizing with chemical cleaning.

The Golești Manor ensemble consists of architectural monuments dating back to the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, with ephemeral architecture roots from Phanariot times but also some pre- Brancovan influences. The Turkish steam bath is placed in the northeast of the enclosure, and it is thought to have been built by Stroe Leurdeanu. Although there are still original fragments of the old plaster that have been preserved, the Turkish bath has undergone several restorations through time, some of them poorly documented. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) combined with LIBS were used in order to analyze the bricks and the mortars, evaluate their preservation state, map the original elements, and document and classify the interventions previously made. Based on the supervised classifications, several areas of interest were selected for LIBS elemental analysis, and multivariate data analysis was conducted in order to discriminate similar composition materials and to map the interventions and the original. By analyzing the variability of the spectral profiles, different algorithms were applied to the SWIR hyperspectral images in order to classify the main elements of the brickwork.