This work analyses the composition of inorganic pigments used in Kerala mural and theyyam folk art, two traditional art forms of Kerala, a South Indian state renowned for its rich cultural heritage. Focusing on samples directly sourced from practicing artists, a multi-analytical approach by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Confocal Raman Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (FESEM-EDS) was applied. The results pointed out a restricted palette based on natural minerals, together with evidence of the adoption of synthetic pigments and inorganic additives. Among the identifications are the blue pigment: Prussian blue (Fe4Fe(CN)63), the red pigments: red ochre (Fe2O3) and cinnabar (HgS), the orange pigment: minium (Pb3O4), and the yellow pigments: orpiment (As2S3) and yellow ochre ((α-FeO(OH)). The results offer a chemical reference for conservation and underline both the evolution and continuity in pigments of these art forms of Kerala.
Anand et al. (Sat,) studied this question.