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July 11, 2026npj Heritage ScienceOpen Access

Linking indigo use in Mexican colonial paintings to Antonio Palomino’s historical recipes for color permanence

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Authors

ELElsa Minerva Arroyo LemusTFTatiana FalcónNENuria Esturau‐Escofet

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Overview

Randomized trial evaluates color permanence of indigo in colonial paintings, suggesting innovative local art practices.

Key Points

  • This research examines how Mexican colonial artists improved the permanence of indigo pigments in their paintings.
  • Experimentally reproduced the purification process of indigo using thermal treatments as described by Antonio Palomino.
  • Analyzed four indigo sources for chemical composition and degradation pathways using SEM–EDS, ATR–FTIR, NMR, GC–MS, and XRD.
  • Focused on synthetic indigo (95% purity) and natural sources from India and Oaxaca, Mexico.
  • Thermal treatment enhances molecular stabilization and partial oxidation of indigo pigments.
  • Retention of impurities and inorganic additives was observed in raw samples post-thermal treatment.
  • Findings support the notion of innovative color-preparation techniques in 18th-century Mexican artistry.

Cite This Study

Lemus et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a51ddbfc18d7f28ca500117https://doi.org/10.1038/s40494-026-02702-5
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