The alterations produced by microbiological attack on terpenoid resin-based varnishes from panel and canvas paintings have been evaluated using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The proposed methods include the on-line derivatisation of drying oils and diterpenoid resins using hexamethyldisilazane during pyrolysis and the application of methyl chloroformate as a derivatisation reagent for triterpenoid resins in GC-MS. Two types of specimens, consisting of model oil medium prepared from linseed oil and model spirit varnishes prepared from colophony and mastic resins dissolved in turpentine, have been used as reference materials. For a series of specimens upon which different genera of bacteria and fungi were inoculated and encouraged to grow, analyses indicated that no mechanisms that commonly occur during the attack of enzymes on drying oils and terpenoid biodegraders were observed to occur in the oil medium and varnishes studied. Thus, the degradation pathways observed in the performed trials usually occur as consequence of natural ageing. Specific trials consisting of the application of biocides to uninoculated colophony varnish resulted in the identification of processes that produce undesirable degradation of the varnish due to interactions between the biocide and the varnish components. Finally, the studied biocides--Biotin, New-Des and Nipagine--generally exhibited good inhibiting effects on the microorganisms studied, although some interesting differences were found between them regarding the application method and type of biocide.