Polychrome wood sculpture depicting The Madonna del Soccorso or della Mazza from the Archdiocese of Palermo: an integrated analytical approach for the restoration

In this study the Madonna del Soccorsoo della Mazza wooden sculpture has been analysed by an interdisciplinary and integrated approach. The polychrome sculpture, dating back to the 18thcentury, comes from the church of the Madonna del Soccorso or della Mazza (1604) situated in Via Maqueda, in Palermo and it was placed on the main recess of the altar. All steps of the conservation project, from the preliminary study to the choice of materials and the restoration procedures have been accompanied and supported by diagnostic and scientific analysis. In order to evaluate the state of conservation of the sculpture and the technique employed to construct the support, computer tomography study was …

Le indagini scientifiche per lo studio e la conservazione dei beni culturali : un approccio analitico integrato, la conoscenza dei materiali costitutivi e della tecnica esecutiva della Madonna Odigitria di Monreale

The icon Virgin Hodegetria, now in Santa Maria Nuova Cathedral in Monreale near Palermo (Italy), probably dates from the beginning of thirteen century could be considered one of the earliest examples of medieval icon in Sicily. The icon is distinguished from other southern icons by the strong Byzantine matrix and by its size (169x131x3 cm). Since 2015, the icon is part of the Arab-Norman Palermo UNESCO Heritage. This paper will deal with historical and scientific investigations on the icon to better understand the painting materials, the executive technique and to resolve question about on-going restoration in planning a complex conservation project. Examination of the icon was both non-inv…

Diagnostic analyses of the wooden statue of Madonna di Monserrato

Indagini diagnostiche della statua lignea della Madonna di Monserrato

The restoration of the wooden statue of Madonna of Montserrat at the Diocesan Museum of Palermo was preceded by a series of chemical-physical and biological investigations which have allowed a better knowledge of the work. In particular the following analyses have been performed on fragment of original material, sampled near the gaps of the wooden statue,: • observations of cross sections to the reflected light Optical Microscope (OM) to identify the stratigraphy and the pictorial materials; • SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) observations on cross sections and analysis in microprobe with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) for structural and chemical analysis of the single pictorial laye…