PAINT INVESTIGATION OF ALTAR AND PULPIT IN THE CHURCH OF ST. MARY, VIGALA, ESTONIA

After an illegal over-painting of the seventeenth-centuryaltar and pulpit in Vigala St. Mary’s church in Estonia, comprehensivepaint layer investigations and chemical analysisstudies – using optical microscopy, scanning electronmicroscopy - energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEMEDS)and micro attenuated total reflectance Fourier transforminfrared (micro-ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy – were carriedout. The history of the colour scheme and paint compositionsof the altar and the pulpit could be revealed togreat extent. This is the first study of this kind in Estoniaand it is expected to provide reference material for similarinvestigations in the Baltic and Northern-European region.