Materials and paint technique of a special masterpiece: Jacopo Tintoretto’s The Wedding Feast at Cana in Venice

The present paper illustrates the results of the scientific investigation performed on the painting on canvas The Wedding Feast at Cana (1561) by Jacopo Robusti, nicknamed Tintoretto. The painting, commissioned for the refectory of the Crociferi’s Convent of, is located in the Sacristy of the Basilica della Madonna della Salute in Venice, after the dissolution of the congregation. Noninvasive single spot technique (X-ray fluorescence), and analytical investigations (optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry) on ten micro-samples were combined to retrieve the palette and identifying the organic binding media. The investigations revealed the existence of many pigments available at that time in Venice, among which is the precious lapis lazuli. The identification of two pigments, one white and one blue, allowed to know the possible time of execution of the two angles, added at the top. The study of the painting has made it possible to know completely unexpected aspects: the painting does not present the traditional ground of gypsum and animal glue, but it turns out to be complete without the preparatory layer. This painting is described by art historians as an “oil on canvas”; however, GC/MS did not identify any fatty acids of siccative oil, but only egg, presumably yolk, then The Wedding Feast at Cana was made in tempera. on canvas The Wedding Feast at Cana (1561) by Jacopo Robusti, nicknamed Tintoretto. The painting, commissioned for the refectory of the Crociferi’s Convent of, is located in the Sacristy of the Basilica della Madonna della Salute in Venice, after the dissolution of the congregation. Noninvasive single spot technique (X-ray fluorescence), and analytical investigations (optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry) on ten micro-samples were combined to retrieve the palette and identifying the organic binding media. The investigations revealed the existence of many pigments available at that time in Venice, among which is the precious lapis lazuli. The identification of two pigments, one white and one blue, allowed to know the possible time of execution of the two angles, added at the top. The study of the painting has made it possible to know completely unexpected aspects: the painting does not present the traditional ground of gypsum and animal glue, but it turns out to be complete without the preparatory layer. This painting is described by art historians as an “oil on canvas”; however, GC/MS did not identify any fatty acids of siccative oil, but only egg, presumably yolk, then The Wedding Feast at Cana was made in tempera

A study on Correggio wall paintings: characterization of technique and materials of Abbey Church of S. Giovanni Evangelista in Parma, Italy

This study deals the materials of the sub- arch of the Del Bono chapel of the Abbey Church of S. Giovanni Evangelista in Parma, Italy, datable around 1523. The author of the painting is Antonio Allegri, known as Correggio (1489 – 1534), considered one of the greatest painters of the sixteenth century. Optical microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, micro-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry were selected in order to provide the higher set of significant data, limiting as much as possible sampling. The analysis has allowed to identify the pigments, characteristic of the epoch. The Correggio’s palette is composed by mineral pigments, sometimes expensive such as lapis lazuli, azurite and cinnabar, together with a wide range of earths or by synthetic pigments like smalt blue. From the amino acid content determination through GC/MS it was shown that, for all samples examined, the protein fraction is to be attributed to the presence of a mixture of egg and animal glue, present as binders in the samples containing lazurite, smalt, hematite, green earth and goethite. This allows to assume the use of a secco technique, also with pigments that do not need the employment of organic binding media on wall. For the gilding sample the hypothesis is that Au foil had been applied on a brown background where the Au foil is applied on the oil-based missione

Model study of the constituents of wall painting degradation patinas: The effect of the treatment with chelating agents on the solubility of the calcium salts

A model study on the application of chelating solutions on superficial calcium degradation patinas of wall paintings is presented. For this purpose the solubility of calcium sulfate, carbonate and oxalate in aqueous solutions of the Ca2 + chelators EDTA and citrate, was evaluated. Both the obtained solutions and their insoluble materials were analyzed by several analytical techniques. These studies revealed that the treatment of solid samples containing calcium sulfate and carbonate as the models of painting patinas resulted in higher solubilities of calcium sulfate and carbonate over that of oxalate. Moreover, our investigations confirmed the higher capacity of EDTA to chelate Ca2 + compared to that of citrate. All these results were interpreted and discussed on the basis of speciation models, solubility products of the salts and formation constants of the calcium complexes in solution. Finally, we report the characterization of a sodium calcium double citrate salt formed as an unexpected product in the treatment of the calcium sulfate with citrate. Overall our results suggest that the low solubility of calcium oxalate prevents its dissolution upon treatments with chelators, and that the capacity of citrate to dissolve the calcium salts is lower than that of EDTA irrespective of the duration of treatment

Combination of a Solvent-dispensing and Micro-aspiration Device for Removal of Varnishes on Painted Surfaces

The use of organic solvents in treatments for the removal of varnishes on easel paintings is still a common practice among conservators worldwide. The more polar solvents required for aged, oxidized varnishes may promote leaching of fatty acid components of oil-based paints. The strategy tested in this study to reduce the diffusion of the solvents, in an attempt to minimize interactions, relied on the use of a system composed of two devices: a pump for delivering a precisely controlled amount of solvent to the surface, and a solvent-proof membrane pump to quickly aspirate it. This method was compared with two traditional methods of solvent application, to remove the varnish on two oil paintings on canvas, one from the twentieth century and the other dated 1872: swab-rolling and application through a Japanese paper sheet. The extent of leaching was measured by GC−MS analysis of the paint samples taken from the treated areas. The profiles of the fatty acids before and after varnish removal could thus be compared

Studio archeometrico dei dipinti murali di Spyros Papaloukas nel Duomo di Amfissa in Grecia

Il Duomo della città di Amfissa (Grecia) è stato costruito nel periodo 1859 – 1869. L’interno del Duomo è stato dipinto interamente dal pittore greco Spyros Papaloukas (1927 – 1932). Lo stato di conservazione della superfice dipinta attualmente versa in condizioni molto precarie ed in vista di un profondo intervento di risanamento e restauro e stata intrapresa una approfondita indagine diagnostica delle superfici dipinte. Allo scopo sono stati avviate una serie di controlli analitici e tecnologici. Nel caso degli intonaci dipinti, particolare attenzione è stata dedicata agli strati pittorici, alla composizione degli strati preparatori, alla caratterizzazione delle malte e ai problemi di deterioramento ad esse connesse. Frammenti di materiale pittorico sono stati analizzati mediante gascromatografia/spettrometria di massa per la ricerca dei leganti organici. E’ stato osservato materiale organico in tutti i campioni, in particolare olio di lino invecchiato e uovo. Dai dati analitici e dalle osservazioni in situ si ritiene che la particolarità dell’opera sia che l’intera superficie (1.500 m2 di superficie) sia stata dipinta con la tecnica pittorica murale “a secco”, adoperando esclusivamente dei leganti organici. Il quadro generale dei risultati delle indagini sui materiali inorganici insieme allo studio dei leganti organici ha rappresentato la base di riferimento per una mirata progettazione dell’ intervento conservativo necessario. Il presente lavoro fa parte del “International Multidisciplinary Conservation Project of the Holy Mary Annunciation Metropolitan Church of Amfissa (Greece)”

Organic Matter and Pigments in the Wall Paintings of Me-Taw-Ya Temple in Bagan Valley, Myanmar

Abstract: Pagán is an ancient city located in Myanmar that is renowned for the remains of about 4000 pagodas, stupas, temples and monasteries dating from the 11th to 13th centuries. Due to a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in 2016, more than 300 ancient buildings were seriously damaged. As a part of the post-earthquake emergency program, a diagnostic pilot project was carried out on Me-taw-ya temple wall paintings to acquire further information on the materials and on their state of conservation. This article presents our attempts at characterising the painting materials at Me-taw-ya temple using non-invasive portable energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF), portable Raman spectroscopy and micro-invasive attenuated total reflectance—Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), micro-Raman spectroscopy (-Raman), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), polarized light microscopy (PLM) and environmental scanning electron microscope—X-ray energy dispersive system (ESEM-EDS) investigations with the aim of identifying the composition of organic binders and pigments. The presence of a proteinaceous glue mixed with the lime-based plaster was ascertained and identified by GC-MS. In addition, this technique confirmed the occurrence of plant-derived gums as binders pointing to the a secco technique. Fe-based compounds, vermillion, carbo

Il caso dell'Erbario Casapini (secolo XVIII)

Casapini's Herbarium is an 18th century manuscript, belonging to the Palatina Library in Parma and currently stored at the Botanical Garden of Parma University. The Herbarium collects nearly 200 samples of dried plant specimens that have been severely affected by physical, biological and chemical degradation. In 2016 the Inner Wheel Club Italia-Parma Est, an international female association, decided to fund the conservation of this Herbarium in order to preserve it and allow its study. A large team of professionals, including conservators, chemists, physicists and a botanist, has been working on the project to secure this unique but very fragile object. This paper discusses the condition assessment, the identification of degradation processes and the first conservation approach to the Casapini Herbarium. Issues related to the treatment of heavily corroded areas, the resewing of the sections and the future storage of the manuscript are also identified and highlighted for further research

Population dynamic of the extinct European aurochs: genetic evidence of a north-south differentiation pattern and no evidence of post-glacial expansion

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aurochs (<it>Bos primigenius</it>) was a large bovine that ranged over almost the entirety of the Eurasian continent and North Africa. It is the wild ancestor of the modern cattle (<it>Bos taurus</it>), and went extinct in 1627 probably as a consequence of human hunting and the progressive reduction of its habitat. To investigate in detail the genetic history of this species and to compare the population dynamics in different European areas, we analysed <it>Bos primigenius </it>remains from various sites across Italy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fourteen samples provided ancient DNA fragments from the mitochondrial hypervariable region. Our data, jointly analysed with previously published sequences, support the view that Italian aurochsen were genetically similar to modern bovine breeds, but very different from northern/central European aurochsen. Bayesian analyses and coalescent simulations indicate that the genetic variation pattern in both Italian and northern/central European aurochsen is compatible with demographic stability after the last glaciation. We provide evidence that signatures of population expansion can erroneously arise in stable aurochsen populations when the different ages of the samples are not taken into account.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Distinct groups of aurochsen probably inhabited Italy and northern/central Europe after the last glaciation, respectively. On the contrary, Italian and Fertile Crescent aurochsen likely shared several mtDNA sequences, now common in modern breeds. We argue that a certain level of genetic homogeneity characterized aurochs populations in Southern Europe and the Middle East, and also that post-glacial recolonization of northern and central Europe advanced, without major demographic expansions, from eastern, and not southern, refugia.</p

A 28,000 Years Old Cro-Magnon mtDNA Sequence Differs from All Potentially Contaminating Modern Sequences

Background: DNA sequences from ancient speciments may in fact result from undetected contamination of the ancient specimens by modern DNA, and the problem is particularly challenging in studies of human fossils. Doubts on the authenticity of the available sequences have so far hampered genetic comparisons between anatomically archaic (Neandertal) and early modern (Cro-Magnoid) Europeans. Methodology/Principal Findings: We typed the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) hypervariable region I in a 28,000 years old Cro-Magnoid individual from the Paglicci cave, in Italy (Paglicci 23) and in all the people who had contact with the sample since its discovery in 2003. The Paglicci 23 sequence, determined through the analysis of 152 clones, is the Cambridge reference sequence, and cannot possibly reflect contamination because it differs from all potentially contaminating modern sequences. Conclusions/Significance:: The Paglicci 23 individual carried a mtDNA sequence that is still common in Europe, and which radically differs from those of the almost contemporary Neandertals, demonstrating a genealogical continuity across 28,000 years, from Cro-Magnoid to modern Europeans. Because all potential sources of modern DNA contamination are known, the Paglicci 23 sample will offer a unique opportunity to get insight for the first time into the nuclear genes of earl