The discovery of Russian scientists will preserve the masterpieces of great artists

Employees of the Vinogradov Institute of Geochemistry SB RAS, and the Institute of the Earth's Crust SB RAS, together with colleagues from Bar-Ilan University (Israel), have determined that the loss of color by lapis lazuli dyes is caused by the behavior of a coloring particle, a chromophore, which ceases to be stable in small-sized mineral grains. This explains the fading of natural ultramarine paint, which has been used by the most prominent painters for centuries.

This property of ultramarine jeopardizes many of their best works created using this material. The results of the work of Russian scientists will help in the restoration of these monuments. They can also be used to create long-lasting pigments for paints, decorative coatings, colored ceramic parts, and glazes.

"Our research will make it possible to create paints based on natural lapis lazuli pigment that are resistant to fading under the influence of air and high temperatures. For example, if lapis lazuli with particles less than 0.04 mm is used in a dye, it may lose color over time under the influence of heat and light, whereas a dye from a mineral with particles of 0.2 mm or more may, on the contrary, become more "deep" and saturated. In the future, we plan to study in more detail the behavior of lapis lazuli particles of different sizes depending on the surrounding atmosphere, time and temperature, as well as their mineral and chemical composition," said the project leader, chief researcher at the Laboratory for Modeling Geochemical Processes at the Vinogradov Institute of Geochemistry SB RAS. Vladimir Towson.

As art critic Oleg Groznov explained to Izvestia, ultramarine paint was the most expensive in Europe until the 19th century, because the lapis lazuli from which it was made was mined only in Afghanistan. Because of its high cost, it was used by recognized masters of their time for the most valuable paintings.