This paper reports the first analytical approach carried out on two working palettes by Portuguese modernist master Almada Negreiros, found in 1991 behind old wood cabinets at the DN building in Lisbon. This is the only known occasion Almada left behind the color experiments done before starting to paint in the nearby walls and as such, it is a unique opportunity to analyze the materials and painting techniques that were originally used. The analytical setup comprised in loco technical photography in Vis, UVF and NIR; p-OM, spectrophotometry in Vis and h-EDXRF, complemented by OM-Vis, µ-FT-IR and VP-SEM-EDS of painting micro-samples and pigments in powder form. Preliminary results suggested the use of fresco painting technique and revealed some technical details, such as the use of a coarse lime sand finishing mortar mixed with natural vegetable fibers, and the extensive use of cadmium-based pigments that were not commonly used (or even recommended) in an alkaline environment. The Cd pigments were used alone or in mixtures with Fe based pigments in the warm hues and with cobalt and ultramarine blue pigments in some green paint layers. No clear evidence of organic materials that could have been used as binders was detected.

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Over the past century, monumental architecture has been at the center of attention of heritage professionals, stakeholders, and the public. On the contrary, vernacular architecture, which constitutes the majority of our built heritage, especially at rural sites in the provinces of Greece and other Mediterranean countries, has been mostly neglected and often has fallen into disarray. As a result, we now witness the severe degradation of several important settlements, which are threatened due to long exposure to the elements and lack of conservation, maintenance, and management plans. Since 2015, the Architectural Conservation Laboratory, University of West Attica, organizes a field-training program at the Minoan sites of Mochlos and Pseira on East Crete, aimed at addressing the challenges of vernacular architecture and raising awareness. The program provides on-the-job training opportunities to heritage professionals in surveying, assessing, and documenting the condition of architectural remains and finally establishing the conservation priorities. This paper discusses the approaches and the goals of the program, as well as the potential for the integration of cost-effective digital documentation techniques, such as photogrammetry, into the systematic monitoring of archaeological sites under threat. The preliminary results of the condition survey of Pseira and the challenges in the application of image-based 3D modeling on site are also reported.

This article describes the results of a multianalytical research carried out on the mural paintings from Evora Cathedral, one of the oldest and most prominent monuments of Evora city. The paintings were a late 16th Century addition to the cathedral's northern transept chapel and are attributed to the painter Jos e de Escovar, whose painting workshop was remarkably active in the so-called golden age of mural paintings in southern Portugal. The aim of the study was to reconstruct the paintings' life story through a materials science perspective by discerning the material characteristics of the original and overpaint campaigns. The analytical setup comprised technical photography (TP) in the visible and UV light, Vis-Spectrophotometry, optical microscopy (OM) complemented with scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS), micro Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (mFT-IR) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography (Py-GC/MS) analyses of the collected samples. Results show that the original paint layers were executed with a combination of fresco and secco techniques, using a very simple chromatic palette composed of earth pigments, mercury sulphide, calcium carbonate and green copper based pigments. The paintings were heavily retouched and overpainted using earth pigments, smalt, Prussian blue, zinc white and lead white. Furthermore, the analyses of the cross-sections taken from the stuccoed frames revealed a first decorative campaign made with gold and silver alloy.

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