Next Article in Journal
Mineralogical and Geochemical Characteristics of Biotite in Granite from the Guanfang Tungsten Deposit, Bozhushan, Southeastern Yunnan, and Their Implications for Petrogenesis and Mineralization
Previous Article in Journal
Chemical Signatures of Apatite in the AQW2 Deposit: Petrogenetic Insights on a Wide Archean–Paleoproterozoic Iron Oxide–Copper–Gold Mineral System in the Carajás Mineral Province
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Minerals
Volume 16
Issue 3
10.3390/min16030309
minerals-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Multi-Technique Analysis of Pigments Used in Architectural Polychrome Paintings at the TaiLing Mausoleum, Western Qing Tombs

by
Weixiang Wang
1,
Zhongjian Zhang
1,*,
Yutong Sun
1,
Mei Yang
2,
Zengqian Sang
2 and
Lihui Li
3
1
Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
2
Western Qing Tombs, Yi County, Baoding 074211, China
3
State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric and Environmental Coevolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Minerals 2026, 16(3), 309; https://doi.org/10.3390/min16030309
Submission received: 5 February 2026 / Revised: 6 March 2026 / Accepted: 13 March 2026 / Published: 15 March 2026
(This article belongs to the Topic State of the Art and Challenges in Geoheritage)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

The TaiLing Mausoleum in Western Qing Tombs has great aesthetic value and a rich history. In this study, we conducted an analysis of the materials used in the architectural polychrome paintings of the TaiLing Mausoleum. Optical microscopy (OM), portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX), micro-Raman spectroscopy (μ-RS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to analyze the paintings of Long’en Gate in TaiLing Mausoleum. The results indicate that the main minerals in the ground layer are quartz, augite, feldspars and illite. The gilding materials employed gold leaf. The red pigment is hematite, and the black pigment is carbon black. The green pigment is emerald green with barium sulfate as an extender. The blue pigments are smalt and synthetic ultramarine. In some areas, emerald green is observed overlaying smalt, suggesting that the paintings at Long’en Gate underwent overlay restoration or repainting from the late Qing Dynasty to modern times. These results can support future conservation of the polychrome paintings at the TaiLing Mausoleum.
Keywords: Western Qing Tombs; TaiLing Mausoleum; architectural polychrome paintings; pigment analysis; emerald green; smalt; synthetic ultramarine Western Qing Tombs; TaiLing Mausoleum; architectural polychrome paintings; pigment analysis; emerald green; smalt; synthetic ultramarine

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Wang, W.; Zhang, Z.; Sun, Y.; Yang, M.; Sang, Z.; Li, L. Multi-Technique Analysis of Pigments Used in Architectural Polychrome Paintings at the TaiLing Mausoleum, Western Qing Tombs. Minerals 2026, 16, 309. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16030309

AMA Style

Wang W, Zhang Z, Sun Y, Yang M, Sang Z, Li L. Multi-Technique Analysis of Pigments Used in Architectural Polychrome Paintings at the TaiLing Mausoleum, Western Qing Tombs. Minerals. 2026; 16(3):309. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16030309

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wang, Weixiang, Zhongjian Zhang, Yutong Sun, Mei Yang, Zengqian Sang, and Lihui Li. 2026. "Multi-Technique Analysis of Pigments Used in Architectural Polychrome Paintings at the TaiLing Mausoleum, Western Qing Tombs" Minerals 16, no. 3: 309. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16030309

APA Style

Wang, W., Zhang, Z., Sun, Y., Yang, M., Sang, Z., & Li, L. (2026). Multi-Technique Analysis of Pigments Used in Architectural Polychrome Paintings at the TaiLing Mausoleum, Western Qing Tombs. Minerals, 16(3), 309. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16030309

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop