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Bitumen

This page presents the spectroscopic analysis of bitumen.
The pigment has been examined using XRF spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, and reflectance spectroscopy. These complementary techniques provide valuable insights into the pigment’s composition and structure.
This page aims to show which analytical methods are most effective for identifying this pigment in artworks and historical materials. By comparing results across different techniques, it serves as a practical reference for heritage science, conservation, and pigment analysis.

Bitumen was very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Manufacturer / product code: Zecchi / 0098
Chemical description: high-molecular hydrocarbons
Color: blue
Color Index: NBk6
More info: C. Bothe “Asphalt” In: B. Berrie, Artists’ Pigments: A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics Volume 4, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2007. Colourlex

Bitumen, also known as asphaltum, is a dark brown to black material derived from natural petroleum deposits. In art history, it gained popularity as a rich, transparent pigment used in oil painting, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries. Artists valued bitumen for its deep, warm glazes that enhanced shadows and added dramatic depth to a composition. It was also found in historical mixtures such as Mummy Brown, where it contributed to the pigment’s warm tone.

Chemically, bitumen is a complex hydrocarbon, insoluble in water but soluble in turpentine and other organic solvents. This property made it easy to mix with oil mediums, but it also led to one of its biggest flaws: poor drying. Bitumen can remain soft for decades, causing paint layers to wrinkle, crack, and lose adhesion. Many masterpieces by artists like Delacroix and Turner have suffered from its instability.

Today, bitumen pigment is still available from specialist suppliers, often in modified forms that improve stability. Conservators study its composition to understand degradation in historical artworks. While its use in modern oil painting is limited due to archival concerns, bitumen remains an important part of pigment history and the study of traditional painting techniques.

Raman spectroscopy – bitumen

Pigments (powder, no binder)

Raman Spectroscopy 785 nm Pigments (pure, no binder)

Pigments with acrylic binder (Pigments Checker)

Raman Spectroscopy 785 nm Pigments-Checker Database

Pure pigments (no binder, just powder)

DOWNLOAD Free Raman Database

DOWNLOAD paper: “Pigments Checker version 3.0, a handy set for conservation scientists: A free online Raman spectra database”

Bitumen Z0098 Raman 532 Spectroscopy Pigments Checker

XRF spectroscopy – bitumen

XRF Spectroscopy Pigments-Checker Database

DOWNLOAD previous database from Pigments Checker V.3 DOWNLOAD paper: R. Larsen, N. Coluzzi, A. Cosentino “Free XRF Spectroscopy database of Pigments Checker” Intl Journal of Conservation Science.