AccScience Publishing / AC / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/AC025220048
REVIEW ARTICLE

From blue to green: A review of the use and alteration of azurite pigment in cultural heritage

Asadulla Asraf Ali1 Manager Rajdeo Singh2*
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1 Department of Chemistry, School of Basic Sciences, The Assam Kaziranga University, Jorhat, Assam, India
2 Department of Tourism Administration, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India
Received: 28 May 2025 | Revised: 11 July 2025 | Accepted: 28 July 2025 | Published online: 13 August 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

Azurite is a key blue pigment in historic art, with well-studied physical and chemical properties; however, a comprehensive synthesis that connects analytical characterization, degradation processes, and provenance studies across diverse contexts remains lacking. This review addresses this critical gap by providing an interdisciplinary synthesis of current research on azurite, a prominent blue pigment extensively used in historical artworks and cultural heritage artifacts. Based on a comprehensive survey of scholarly literature, the article consolidates findings on the pigment’s physical, chemical, optical, and mineralogical properties as examined through diverse analytical techniques. Studies employing methods such as X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and infrared (IR) spectroscopy are critically evaluated to highlight how azurite has been identified, characterized, and differentiated from related copper-based pigments. Particular emphasis is placed on the influence of particle size—categorized as coarse, medium, and fine—on optical performance and visual appearance in artworks. The review also addresses degradation phenomena, notably azurite’s transformation into malachite and cupric oxide under thermal and environmental stress, with implications for pigment stability and material authenticity. Case studies, including notable examples such as the Tomb of Murongzhi, are discussed to illustrate real-world applications of these techniques in heritage science. In addition, the identification of mineral inclusions and impurities is examined in the context of geological provenance and sourcing studies. While the Tomb of Murongzhi is cited as a key example, this review considers the use and transformation of azurite across a range of cultural and geographic contexts.

Keywords
Azurite pigment
Historical colorants
Cultural heritage conservation
Pigment degradation
Analytical characterization
Mineralogical provenance
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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