The use of colour measurement in research into art heritage

Abstract

This investigation combines the use of the scientific method of measuring colour with the physical representation of the human perception of a particular colour within the Munsell colour-notation system. The aim is to assess and compare the appearance and use of that colour in two heritage sites. The research is grounded in the case-study of two seventeenth century post-Byzantine churches in Arbanassi, Bulgaria. Previous research on the site had been limited to verbal description of the colours used in the church interiors. This work employs the correlation between the colorimetric measurements collected from green-coloured sections of wall decoration and the Munsell colour-notation system to allow a reasonably accurate translation of colorimetric data for the purpose of art historical investigation. The closest colorimetric (CIEDE2000) match was selected.