Raman spectroscopic study of “The Malatesta”: A Renaissance painting?

• Raman spectrosocpic analysis of pigments in oil painting.
• Analysis consistent with Renaissance assignment except for chrome yellow.
• Historically chrome yellow presence from 19th Century retouching.
• Combination of pigment analysis with historical reserach provenancing.

Raman spectroscopic analysis of the pigments on an Italian painting described as a “Full Length Portrait of a Gentleman”, known also as the “Malatesta”, and attributed to the Renaissance period has established that these are consistent with the historical research provenance undertaken earlier. Evidence is found for the early 19th Century addition of chrome yellow to highlighted yellow ochre areas in comparison with a similar painting executed in 1801 by Sir Thomas Lawrence of John Kemble in the role of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The Raman data are novel in that no analytical studies have previously been made on this painting and reinforces the procedure whereby scientific analyses are accompanied by parallel historical research.

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