A set of 27 commercially available pigments by Kremer Pigmente (Aichstetten, Germany), including traditional and synthetic compounds, has been characterized in detail from a chemical and mineralogical point of view in the frame of a wide research project about pigments and colorants involving different spectroscopic techniques such as reflectance spectroscopy (in both visible and near‐infrared intervals), Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (in both attenuated total reflection and reflection modes), and Raman spectroscopy. These pigments are currently employed for pictorial retouch purposes of both ancient and contemporary works of art, and a deep comprehension of their composition is fundamental in order to better understand their long‐term behavior after application.This work presents Raman results found analyzing the set of pigments in order to identify existing phases and comparing them with datasheets available by Kremer Pigmente: some inconsistencies were found, especially concerning correspondences with Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) numbers, pigment codes, and color indexes, together with the absence of some compounds in the records.Most Raman signals were attributed to specific vibrational modes, even if in some cases, only related chemical species were identified, whereas information regarding individual vibrational modes was not found in the literature. The whole volume of data generated in this project will represent a useful tool for the study of artworks permitting both the interpretation of spectral information obtainable mostly from portable instruments and for the evaluation of materials to be used for pictorial retouching.

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In coastal areas, the rising damp of salty water is a well-known degradation factor of historical masonries, leading to visible features such as crusts, masonry erosion, and plaster loss. Venetian masonries are strongly affected by decay caused by rising damp exacerbated by direct contact with salty water. Recurrent flooding due to high tides and an increase in the frequency of flooding events, also related to climate change, raises concern about the impacts. Although several studies have been carried out on probable future scenarios, a valuation of the decay risk due to rising damp at the urban level still needs to be implemented. This paper proposes a non-invasive and economically sustainable approach for evaluating rising damp effects at an urban scale. The approach includes a collection of archive images of masonries affected by rising damp dating back to the 1990s; a visual survey of the actual conservation state of masonries; a classification based on significant descriptors; and a discussion on exposure conditions and conservation states. The descriptors chosen are rising damp levels, biological growth, plaster loss, efflorescence, and brick erosion. The evaluation was implemented in a georeferenced system suitable for future comparisons, thus providing a management tool for the city’s preservation.

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