Pigment analyses of a portrait and paint box of Turkish artist Feyhaman Duran (1886–1970): The EDXRF, FT-IR and micro Raman spectroscopic studies

The samples obtained from nine different places of Ataturk portrait (oil on canvas, 86 cm × 136 cm) by Feyhaman Duran (1886–1970), one of the famous Turkish painters of the 20th century, together with five pigment samples (two different white, two different yellow and blue), obtained as powders from artist's paint box, were analysed by EDXRF, FT-IR and micro-Raman spectroscopic methods, in order to characterise the pigments used by the artist. Informative Raman signals were not obtained from most of the samples of the portrait, due to huge fluorescence caused by the presence of impurities and organic materials in the samples, however the Raman spectrum of the sample from skin coloured part of the portrait and the pigment samples obtained from the paint box of the artist were found to be very informative to shed light on the determination of the pigments used. Analysis revealed the presences of chrome yellow (PbCrO4), strontium yellow (SrCrO4) and Cadmium yellow (CdS) as yellow, chromium oxides (Cr2O3 and Cr2O3·2H2O) as green, natural red ochre as red, brown ochre as brown and ivory black or bone black (C + Ca3(PO4)2) and manganese oxides (Mn2O3 and MnO2) as black pigments, in the composition of the Ataturk portrait. Lead white (2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2), calcite (CaCO3), barite (BaSO4), zinc white (ZnO) and titanium white (TiO2) were used as extenders to lighten the colours and/or as for ground level painting. Powder pigment samples, obtained from the paint box of artist, were found to be mixed pigments rather than pure ones.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► EDXRF, FT-IR and micro-Raman spectroscopic analysis of artist's pigments to characterise artist's technique. ► Derivative spectroscopy enables to differentiate the overlapping bands in the IR spectrum. ► Pigments used in Turkish paintings in the 20th century.