Investigation of Asian Dyes and Pigments from the Artifact of "Murongzhi" and the Silk Road in China

Yanfei Wei; Wenting Gu; Lei Zhong; Bingbing Liu; Feixiang Huang; Yuhua Chang; Mingke Li; Yaya Jing; Guoke Chen

doi:10.1021/acsomega.2c06572

Investigation of Asian Dyes and Pigments from the Artifact of "Murongzhi" and the Silk Road in China

ACS Omega. 2023 Jan 4;8(2):2508-2519. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06572. eCollection 2023 Jan 17.

Authors

Yanfei Wei¹, Wenting Gu^{1

2}, Lei Zhong¹, Bingbing Liu¹, Feixiang Huang¹, Yuhua Chang¹, Mingke Li¹, Yaya Jing¹, Guoke Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Gansu, Lanzhou 730000, China.
² College of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.

Abstract

In this paper, a series of modern analysis methods, including Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectrophotometry, and ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with a thermoelectric LTQ-Orbitrap XL ETD mass spectrometer (UHPLC-MS/MS), were applied to analyze and accurately identify the chemical composition of plant dyes and the mineral pigment from the samples collected from grave goods. As a result, the textiles were dyed by the madder, Kermes, Phellodendron chinense, indigo, Lithospermum L., and so forth. In addition, the mineral pigment, charcoal, hematite, minium, cinnabar, azurite, and malachite were used to paint the exquisite artifacts in the tomb of Murongzhi. This research demonstrates the profound impact on cultural transmission and fusion in the "Tuyuhong" dynasty and explores the Silk Road in Tang dynasty.