Non-invasive characterization of Bernardino Luini’s color palette. A spectroscopic campaign on the frescos of Santuario della Beata Vergine dei Miracoli in Saronno (Italy)

One of the greatest masters of northern Italian art between the 15th and 16th centuries is certainly Bernardino Luini, who was strongly influenced along with other important artists of his period by the painting technique of Leonardo da Vinci. In this paper, we report the results of the analytical campaign conducted on two wall paintings depicting the Marriage of the Virgin and the Adoration of the Christ Child made by Luini in the Santuario della Beata Vergine dei Miracoli in Saronno (Italy) between 1525 and 1529. The multi-analytical approach through X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier transform infrared reflection (R-FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy allowed us to characterize the color palette used in the paintings and thus, through comparison of the results, to provide support for a more certain attribution of the Adoration of the Christ Child.