Characterization of selected paper documents from the archives of Palazzo Ducale (Venice), Italy using various analytical techniques

Abstract The paper manufacturing process remained unchanged for many centuries, until, in the nineteenth century, the crisis of rags led industrialized countries to patent new production processes with different raw materials. This study deals with this period of transition by analyzing four samples stored at the archives of Superintendency Beni Architettonici per il Paesaggio e per il Patrimonio Storico Artistico ed Etnoantropologico (BAPPDAD) of Venice Lagoon, based in the Palazzo Ducale. The samples were analyzed by FT-IR (ATR), SEM-EDS, HPLC-MS/MS and Py-GC/MS. These techniques allow the characterization of various raw materials and adhesives used in various stages of paper production. These analyses have found a gradual introduction of ground wood in the composition of papers from the mid-nineteenth century, and the use of rosin as glue only in more recent documents.