Analysis of Pigments of Ming Dynasty Polychrome Paintings Composition in the Juehuang Hall of the Mingjiao Temple
ZHANG Wen-jie1, ZHANG Yu2, CAO Zhen-wei3, HAN Xiang-na1*, GUO Hong1
1. Key Laboratory of Archaeomaterials and Conservation, Ministry of Education, Institute for Cultural Heritage and History of Science & Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
2. School of Architecture, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
3. The Ancient Architecture Department of the Palace Museum, Beijing 100009, China
Abstract：Mingjiao Temple is located in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. The Juehuang Hall is the only surviving structure of the original Mingjiao Temple complex. The main part of the hall was constructed during the early Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1368—1382) and was completed no later than the first year of the Chenghua reign (1465). The interior of Juehuang Hall retains a significant number of Ming Dynasty murals, which exhibit the distinctive characteristics of the official architectural style of the Northern country. These murals are a rare example of Ming Dynasty architectural painting and hold significant research value. Previous research on the paintings in the Juehuang Hall has focused on their form and aesthetic style, with no scientific analysis of their production techniques and materials. This study employs a high-resolution digital microscope, laser Raman spectrometer, scanning electron microscope, and energy dispersive spectrometer to analyze and identify the pigments from the paintings in the Juehuang Hall. The results indicate that the green pigments in the Mingjiao Temple's Juehuang Hall paintings are malachite and copper chloride, the red pigments are iron oxideand red lead, the white pigment is lead white, the blue pigment is indigo, and the black pigment is carbon black. Furthermore, the eaves paintings within the Juehuang Hall exhibit multi-layered paintings and the practice of mixing pigments for color adjustment. Synthetic ultramarine and Paris green are absent in these eaves paintings, which were commonly used in the Qing Dynasty's middle and later periods. The painting technique, characterized by the direct application of pigments onto the wooden components without a preparatory ground layer, suggests that these paintings are likely remnants from the Ming Dynasty, aligning with the documented period of the paintings' creation. This study is the first scientific analysis of the production techniques and materials of the Juehuang Hall paintings, and the preliminary findings have enriched the understanding of the application of pigments in Ming Dynasty architectural paintings, providing a reference for subsequent research and conservation efforts.
Key words：Mingjiao temple; Juehuang Hall; Ming dynasty paintings; Raman spectroscopy
章文杰，张 宇，曹振伟，韩向娜，郭 宏. 明教寺觉皇殿明代彩画颜料成分分析[J]. 光谱学与光谱分析, 2025, 45(05): 1389-1394.
ZHANG Wen-jie, ZHANG Yu, CAO Zhen-wei, HAN Xiang-na, GUO Hong. Analysis of Pigments of Ming Dynasty Polychrome Paintings Composition in the Juehuang Hall of the Mingjiao Temple. SPECTROSCOPY AND SPECTRAL ANALYSIS, 2025, 45(05): 1389-1394.
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