The identification of pigments and binding media used in art works can provide historians, scholars and investigators information about the creation of the work, and give conservators and restorers guidelines about the materials used in conservation treatments. Identification of these materials also assists in authenticating artwork in forgery investigations. Raman spectroscopy is information rich and can provide a wealth of information about the specimen analyzed. However, portability of the device is very important and some late century artwork is too fragile or heavy to move, while others are bound to historical buildings and other architecture. Other works of art are at risk when samples are abstracted for analysis, and some pieces are too heterogeneous to extract samples without damage. Until today, most Raman spectrometers were limited to the laboratory and samples were extracted and brought to the instrument for analysis.

The Inspector Raman is used to assist scholars and historians in identification of several types of artifacts. It can be used to identify minerals, pigments, binders, glasses, gems and other materials used in significant works of art. Most importantly, the Inspector Raman is a portable, handheld device that allows the user to analyze specimens in a number of orientations. It has the option of running on batteries, and communicates with a small laptop computer using Bluetooth or USB. One of the main objectives of examining artwork is to keep the damage to the specimen low, and if samples do not have to be extracted for analysis it keeps the piece intact and historically preserved. The Inspector Raman can be used to examine artwork through glass and plastic covers. Some artwork is historically preserved in sealed and inert environments. The Inspector Raman can be used to analyze samples without uncovering or breaking vacuum lined preservation containers.