Pigment Identification of Cultural Heritage Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Since ancient times, pigments have fascinated artists of all ages. The need to enrich artistic representations with colorful images led to a specific search for durable materials, such as pigments. Many types of pigments with different compositions, both natural and synthetic, have been selected, produced and used, and many colors have been progressively added to the artists’ palettes. For conservation and restoration purposes, it is also important to distinguish original materials from later additions, to recognize the degradation process of organic and inorganic pigments, and to be able to conduct a preliminary in situ analysis that allows for less invasive interventions on artworks. In recent years, research on art materials has contributed not only to conservation but also to the understanding of the genesis of artworks, providing archaeologists with information equal to documentary sources, particularly for those pigments that have been discontinued over time.

Furthermore, the analysis of the constituent materials of works of art helps to understand the artist's technique and, therefore, helps to identify or exclude the artist’s work in dubious situations.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect contributions highlighting recent achievements in the field of the identification of organic and inorganic pigments in artworks and their alteration processes, in the form of original papers, mini-reviews, and papers. Case studies will also be evaluated.

Contributions are invited on, but not restricted to, the following topics:

• Studies on ancient and synthetic inorganic pigments;
• Studies on ancient and synthetic dyes;
• Studies on the degradation processes of pigments and dyes;
• Innovative methodologies for the identification of pigments in artworks;
• Studies on ancient pigments, painting techniques, and craftsmanship;
• Non-invasive techniques for the characterization of pigments in artworks;
• Portable, non-invasive spectroscopic techniques for pigment identification in cultural heritage.

Prof. Dr. Manuela Vagnini
Dr. Chiara Anselmi
Dr. Francesca Volpi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Heritage is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.