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A Silver Monochrome “Concetto spaziale” by Lucio Fontana: A Spectroscopic Non- and Micro-Invasive Investigation of Materials. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27144442. [PMID: 35889313 PMCID: PMC9320160 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27144442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
In several of his artworks, for instance the Venezie cycle, Fontana employed metallic paints; previous investigations on such materials highlighted the use of different synthetic binders and of thick paint layers below the metal one, having different colours to change the visual perception of the metallic surface. In the present work, a monochrome silver “Concetto spaziale” by the Italo–Argentine artist belonging to a private collection recently gifted to the museum of the Church of San Fedele in Milano, Italy, was investigated to deepen the knowledge of this particular group of Fontana’s paintings. The artwork was initially visually inspected in visible and ultraviolet (UV) light. Subsequently, a non-invasive spectroscopic investigation was performed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), reflection Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. A minute fragment of silver-coloured paint was taken from the reverse of the painting, near the cut edge, and examined by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) and micro-Fourier-transform Raman (FT-Raman) spectroscopy. The analytical data made it possible to identify the composition of the metallic paint layer and of the underlying dark one, both from the point of view of the pigments and of the binders used, also highlighting the potential of the non-invasive and micro-invasive methods adopted in the investigation.
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Guglielmi V, Andreoli M, Comite V, Baroni A, Fermo P. The combined use of SEM-EDX, Raman, ATR-FTIR and visible reflectance techniques for the characterisation of Roman wall painting pigments from Monte d'Oro area (Rome): an insight into red, yellow and pink shades. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:29419-29437. [PMID: 34196870 PMCID: PMC9001301 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-15085-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this work has been the identification of the painter's materials employed in the wall decoration of some destroyed buildings dating approximately between the first century B.C. and the first century A.D. This research originates from a previously started joined archaeological and analytical investigation concerning a varied group of findings that resulted from a rescue excavation performed by Soprintendenza Archeologica in the area of Monte d'Oro in Rome. The focus of this study progression has been directed to a numerous selection of monochrome red, pink and yellow-pigmented fragments. The analyses were performed by means of scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) combined with Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies; visible reflectance measurements have also been carried out and the relevance of this technique in such a kind of archaeological studies has been highlighted. Most attention has been given to the assessment of the performances of non-destructive techniques achieved by portable Raman, and visible reflectance instrumentation to test their diagnostic capabilities. In addition to the expected and well-known pigments such as cinnabar, red ochre, hematite for the reds and yellow ochre for the yellows, the study highlighted a diffuse use of mixed colours and in some cases the possible presence of overlapped painted layers and confirmed the presence of gildings. Among the mixtures of pigments, the most singular outcome concerns the pink fragments revealing the possible application of bone white, which seems to be rather uncommon as a pigment in Roman wall decorations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vittoria Guglielmi
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi, 19, Milan, Italy.
| | - Martina Andreoli
- Department of Humanities, University of Trento, via Tommaso Gar 14 I, Trento, Italy
| | - Valeria Comite
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi, 19, Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Baroni
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi, 19, Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Fermo
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi, 19, Milan, Italy
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Fermo P, Colella M, Malagodi M, Fiocco G, Albano M, Marchioron S, Guglielmi V, Comite V. Study of a surface coating present on a Renaissance Piety from the Museum of Ancient Art (Castello Sforzesco, Milan). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:29498-29509. [PMID: 34498183 PMCID: PMC8425584 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-16244-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The surface coating present on a marble Piety dating to the Renaissance period and stored at the Castello Sforzesco-Museum of Ancient Art (Milan, Italy) was studied and chemically characterised. For this purpose, both portable non-invasive (XRF and colorimetric measurements) and micro-invasive techniques (FTIR-ATR and SEM-EDS), have been applied. The statue has been recently submitted to a restoration, since its surface appeared dark and yellowed, before an exhibition at the Louvre Museum and the original appearance of the marble surface recovered thanks to the surface coating removal. Through the analytical characterisation carried out before and after the marble cleaning, the presence of a degradation layer composed by gypsum was evidenced on the stone. The origin of this layer is ascribable to the exposure of the statue to outdoor environment and interaction with atmospheric pollution. The chemical nature of the coating applied at the end of nineteenth century also responsible for the surface alteration was hypothesized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Fermo
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi, 19 Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Colella
- Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Noto 8, Milan, Italy
- Centro studio e conservazione opere d’arte Piccolo Chiostro s.r.l., via C. Procaccini n.4 Fabbrica del Vapore, 20154 Milano, Italy
| | - Marco Malagodi
- Arvedi Laboratory of non-Invasive Diagnostics, CISRiC, University of Pavia, Via Bell’Aspa 3, 26100 Cremona, Italy
- Department of Musicology and Cultural Heritage, University of Pavia, Corso Garibaldi 178, 26100 Cremona, Italy
| | - Giacomo Fiocco
- Arvedi Laboratory of non-Invasive Diagnostics, CISRiC, University of Pavia, Via Bell’Aspa 3, 26100 Cremona, Italy
- Department of Chemistry, Università di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 7, 10125 Torino, Italy
| | - Michela Albano
- Arvedi Laboratory of non-Invasive Diagnostics, CISRiC, University of Pavia, Via Bell’Aspa 3, 26100 Cremona, Italy
- Department of Physics, Polytechnic of Milan, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Silvia Marchioron
- Centro studio e conservazione opere d’arte Piccolo Chiostro s.r.l., via C. Procaccini n.4 Fabbrica del Vapore, 20154 Milano, Italy
| | - Vittoria Guglielmi
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi, 19 Milan, Italy
| | - Valeria Comite
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi, 19 Milan, Italy
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Methodological aspects and practical limitations for luminescence dating applications in calcium sulfate samples implied by dose response and dose recovery measurements. Microchem J 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2021.106382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Pigments on Roman Wall Painting and Stucco Fragments from the Monte d’Oro Area (Rome): A Multi-Technique Approach. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/app10207121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This work concerns the characterisation of a set of wall painting and stucco fragments collected during a rescue excavation carried out in 2013 by the Soprintendenza Archeologica in the Monte d’Oro area (Rome). Due to the contextless archaeological situation, analyses were performed to obtain more information about the collected materials. A multi-analytical approach has been applied including spectroscopic (FTIR, Raman and visible reflectance analyses) and elemental analysis (SEM-EDS) techniques. The chromatic palette has been in this way disclosed evidencing the use of pigments such as cinnabar, Egyptian blue, red and yellow ochre and green earth, but also the simultaneous use of them. The presence of a decoration achieved by using a gold leaf has been highlighted also, indicating the preciousness of the decorations. The convenience and advantages linked to the use of portable instrumentation have been also evidenced.
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