A comprehensive study has been undertaken into Sabil-Kuttab Umm 'Abbas ceiling (1867
AD/1284 H) in Cairo, Egypt. The study included both organic and inorganic constituents
comprising; the pigments, the paint media, the gold layer and the white ground layer. The
analytical instruments chosen for the study were Raman microscopy, Fourier transform infra
red spectroscopy coupled with attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) and optical microscopy.
The pigments identified were ultramarine blue Na6[Al6Si6O24]Sn, indigo (C16H10N2O2),
vermilion (á-HgS), red ochre (Fe2O3+clay+silica), barium white (BaSO4), lead white [2PbCO3.
Pb(OH)2] and cobalt yellow (K3[Co(NO2)6]). The chromate mineral, hemihedrite
(ZnPb10(CrO4)6(SiO4)2F2), was detected for the first time as an artistic pigment in this study.
The paint media revealed were animal glue admixed with linseed oil and mastic resin. The
detection of mastic resin as a paint medium in Egyptian paintings is of interest. The white
ground layer was found to consist of calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4.2H2O) and calcite
(CaCO3) admixed with animal glue.