0000000001296236
AUTHOR
Valentina Venuti
Multi-Technique Diagnostic Investigation in View of the Restoration of “The Glory of St. Barbara” Painting by Mattia Preti
The present paper illustrates the results of a diagnostic investigation performed on the oil on canvas painting “The Glory of St. Barbara” (1680–1688) by Mattia Preti. The painting is located inside the St. Barbara Church in Taverna (Catanzaro, Italy), the city that gave birth to the artist. In situ, non-invasive studies, by applying X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, along with laboratory micro-destructive analytical investigations, by employing electron probe microanalyses (EPMA) coupled with energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and micro-Raman (µ-Raman) spectroscopy, were combined to retrieve the color palette and identify the painting technique and style of t…
Decorated pottery study: Analysis of pigments by x-ray absorbance spectroscopy measurements
Characterization of pigments on decorated pottery fragments has been fully carried out by nondestructive x-ray absorbance spectroscopy (XAS). The samples were a series of pottery shards excavated from the archeological site of Caltagirone (Sicily, Italy), a well-known ceramic production center. Aesthetical criteria and morphological observations allowed us to attribute the samples to quite different historical periods, starting from the 18th century B.C. up to the 16th century A.D. An extensive time interval led us to suppose that different materials and techniques were used for the production of the ceramic paste and also for the preparation of pigments. XAS measurements were performed at …
Multitechnique diagnostic analysis and 3D surveying prior to the restoration of St. Michael defeating Evil painting by Mattia Preti
In this study, a multimethodological analysis involving optical and physical/chemical diagnostic techniques and 3D photogrammetric survey was successfully applied, for the first time, on the large oil on canvas St. Michael defeating Evil painting by Mattia Preti, located inside the Church of the Immaculate Conception of Sarria (Floriana) in Malta. Pigmenting agents, binder media, and raw materials were first characterized, both at elemental and molecular scales, through X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), optical stereo microscopy (SM), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and gas chroma…
Pore structure and water transfer in Pietra d’Aspra limestone: A neutronographic study
Neutron radiography (NR) was here applied to study the effects of two different commercially available consolidants on the water absorption properties in a particular type of limestone (biocalcarenite), known as Pietra d’Aspra stone, which is one of the most extensively used lithotypes in Sicilian Baroque buildings. Our attention was mainly focused on the evaluation, using a fast and nondestructive visualization of water motion through capillarity, of the effectiveness of such layers as consolidating agents in view of preserving and maintaining both old and modern structures. The biocalcarenite was treated with nanosilica (Nano Estel®) and nanolime (CaLoSil®) by brushing it until full satur…
Archaeometric Characterisation of Decorated Pottery from the Archaeological Site of Villa dei Quintili (Rome, Italy): Preliminary Study
This work focused on the study of decorated pottery dated back to the 16th century from the Roman archaeological site of Villa dei Quintili, a monumental complex located in the south-eastern part of Rome (Italy). A minero-petrographic and geochemical study was undertaken to analyse five archaeological samples in order to define textural features and raw materials used for their production, along with the chemical and physical composition of the superficial decorative glazed coatings. For this purpose, different analytical methods were used, such as polarising optical microscope (POM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), micro-Raman spectroscopy, X-Ray fluorescence (XRF), and electron microprobe analys…
Evaluating the protecting effects of two consolidants applied on Pietra di Lecce limestone: A neutronographic study
Abstract In this work a combined laboratory-based and neutronographic investigation was carried out on a type of limestone, known as Pietra di Lecce stone, widely used in Italian Baroque as construction material. The limestone was treated with two different commercially-available coatings, namely nanosilica and nanolime, and artificially weathered by salt crystallization and temperature/relative humidity jumps. The aim was to provide an experimental evidence of the protective and consolidating effectiveness of the two treatments by looking at the water absorption process occurring inside the pore network of the analyzed stones. The analysis of the wetting front position revealed significant…
New insights to assess the consolidation of stone materials used in built heritage: the case study of ancient graffiti (Tituli Picti) in the archaeological site of Pompeii
AbstractTituli Picti are an ancient form of urban graffiti very common in the archaeological site of Pompeii (Naples, South—Italy). They are generally made of red pigments applied on walls of Campanian ignimbrite. This paper deals with a scientific investigation aimed to their conservation. This is a challenging task since it requires a multidisciplinary approach that includes restorers, archaeologists and conservation scientists. The study has provided suggestions on the proper way to conserve Tituli Picti over time. In the present work, several specimens of Campanian ignimbrite were painted with red earth pigment; lime and Arabic gum have been used as binders as well. Such painted stones …
Additional file 1 of New insights to assess the consolidation of stone materials used in built heritage: the case study of ancient graffiti (Tituli Picti) in the archaeological site of Pompeii
Additional file 1: Table S1. Summary of the consolidation treatments carried out on the painted specimens. Figure S1. Arrangement of the washout test, samples were immersed in deionized water and a vortex were generated by means of a magnetic stirrer.