Color paintings have much aesthetic value and historical importance. This study examined the color paintings of the east pillar of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s Great Hall. The pillars in interiors of ancient buildings were painted with a layer of red lacquer. The painted pillars are valuable because they symbolize the highest rank of a building’s hierarchy and the esteemed status of the owner. In this study, we investigated pigments, inorganic fillers, and adhesives used in the color paintings of the royal residence. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, polarized light microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy were used to investigate the pigments of the paintings. Pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py–GC/MS) was used to classify the composition of adhesives. The results showed that the painted pigments included vermilion (HgS), graphite (C), white lead (2PbCO₃·Pb(OH)₂), and lead red (Pb₃O₄). The Py–GC/MS showed possible presence of tung oil and flour in the mortar. The X-ray diffraction demonstrated the presence of limewater and brick dust (gismondine, dolomite). The analyses of pigment, inorganic fillers, and adhesives of the Taiping royal palace paintings provide information on the long-standing preservation of the paintings.

The murals of Ming Dynasty North Mosque in Linqing, Shandong Province, Eastern China, are of significant cultural and historical importance. Their final restoration date remains uncertain, making a comprehensive investigation critical before initiating preservation and renovation work. This research project examined the painting materials of the murals using various analytical techniques, including polarized light microscopy (PLM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), microscopic Raman spectroscopy (M-Raman), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) analysis. Results indicated that the pigments employed included ultramarine, emerald green, cinnabar, kaolinite, gypsum, and carbon black, while the gum binder used was protein-based adhesive materials. As synthetic ultramarine and emerald green were not introduced to China until the late Qing Dynasty, this suggests that these murals were restored no earlier than this period. The study also revealed that the mural materials used in the North Mosque mural were similar to those found in other architectural murals in China. Thus, the knowledge gained from the conservation and restoration efforts of similar architectural murals can be leveraged to enhance the conservation and restoration efforts of the North Mosque murals.