Micro-Raman spectroscopy in the identification of wulfenite and vanadinite in a Sasanian painted stucco fragment of the Ghaleh Guri in Ramavand, western Iran

• Wulfnite is suggested as a yellow pigment.
• Raman spectroscopy is an efficient tool for non-invasive identification of pigments.
• Sasanian pigments at the Ghaleh Guri show close ties with early Islamic pigments.

This paper reports the results of studies performed on a painted stucco fragment excavated at the Ghaleh Guri in Ramavand, western Iran, and dated back to the late Sasanian period (224–651 AD). Analytical studies including micro-Raman spectroscopy (μ-Raman), micro-X-ray spectrometry (μ-XRF) and optical microscopy showed that red lead and vermilion were used as main pigments on this fragment. Moreover, carbon black was diagnosed to thinly cover some parts of the red lead. Peculiarly, wulfenite (PbMoO4) associated with vanadinite (Pb5(VO4)3Cl) was identified to compose a yellow stain sporadically dispersed on the other pigments.

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