Analytical chemistry approach in cultural heritage: the case of Vincenzo Pasqualoni's wall paintings in S. Nicola in Carcere (Rome)

•The diagnostic analysis of Vincenzo Pasqualoni's painting placed at S. Nicola in Carcere, in Rome, is presented.•The presented combined approach using spectroscopic analyses: XRF, Raman, FT-IR, UV-VIS-NIR was effective to the identification of pictorial material used.•Inorganic pigments mainly compose the artist's palette.•The painter used fresco technique, with some secco retouching and finishing, probably using tempera.•The successful application of statistical analyses to characterize the painting (PCA, SAM, PLS-DA) is demonstrated.