Uncovering Art’s Vanishing Hues with Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering: Drawing Inspiration from the Past for the Future

The aesthetic and historical significance of art is well recognized; art can stoke emotions, invite close inquiry, and connect us to the past. However, works of art are also complex material objects that present unique challenges and opportunities for the scientific community. Identifying “fugitive” organic pigments in traditional oil paintings, for example, presents a particularly complex analytical challenge that is critical to address for their conservation and long-term preservation. In this Perspective, we discuss the benefits and technical challenges of applying surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy to the ultrasensitive identification of fugitive pigments in paintings as well as future developments in SERS we envision that are inspired by the past.