Scientific Analysis and Research on the Mural Paintings of the Yunti'an Temple in Beijing Shangfangshan National Forest Park

Abstract

This study focuses on the Ming Dynasty murals in the Yunti Temple at Shangfangshan National Forest Park, Beijing, employing a comprehensive approach that integrates on-site non-destructive testing with laboratory micro-area analysis techniques to systematically conduct multidimensional research from the perspectives of technological archaeology and conservation science. Through the application of 3D video microscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and laser Raman spectroscopy, six micro-samples were analyzed for their morphology, elemental composition, and phase characterization. The results confirmed that the red pigment is primarily cinnabar, the blue pigment is natural azurite, the green pigment is malachite, and the yellow pigment is minium. The plaster layer, composed of Broussonetia papyrifera, exhibits a typical three-layer system of "coarse mud-fine mud-white powder" characteristic of northern China during the Ming Dynasty. The study identified the overlapping relationship between the original mid-Ming works and later partial retouching. The findings provide an empirical foundation and methodological framework for understanding the materials, restoring the techniques, and implementing preventive conservation measures for official-style mountain temple murals.