Raman microscopy: The identification of lapis lazuli on medieval pottery fragments from the south of Italy

The technique of Raman microscopy has been used to investigate the pigments used in the glazes of fragments of medieval items of pottery dating back to the second half of the 13th century, which were found buried beneath a church in the abandoned village of Castel Fiorentino, near Foggia, in Southern Italy. The research has led to the first identification of lapis lazuli in a blue pigment pottery glaze; the identification was confirmed for six other shards from the same site. The brown-black pigment in these shards could not be identified. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.