The study and analysis of the materials employed in artistic paintings provide deeper knowledge about the history of the work of art, including restoration efforts made in the past, and the development of painting techniques through the centuries. Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry is the main analytical technique employed, as it proved to be the most suitable technique for the analysis of complex mixtures, thanks to its combination of sensitivity, wide range of applicability and versatility. Further, μFT-IR technique has also been employed to get a preliminary screening of the samples taken from paintings. In this paper, the analytical protocol based on these two techniques has been applied for analysing natural terpenic resins; its performance has been tested on microsamples collected from paintings of valuable artistic interest.
Keywords: Canada balsam; GC–MS; Natural resins; colophony; diterpenoids; mass spectra; mastic; oil painting; triterpenoids.