Craft data mapping and spatial analysis for historical landscape modeling

Abstract

Abstract This paper discusses research on gypsum decorated ceilings of Piemonte. They are a precious architectural and rural cultural heritage and are extremely delicate and fragile due to the material characteristics. Some examples of these ceilings date as far back as the late16th century and the earliest examples were made near the end of the 19th century. Apparently similar to wooden coffered ceilings, the gypsum panels in these ceilings have a bearing function together with the wooden framework and they present a very rich collection of decorations derived from the wood carving tradition. The issues on which this paper focuses are the analyses carried out by GIS data management, intended to improve our knowledge of the value of these ceilings. New information about their presence, state of conservation and reasons for their widespread occurrence are the basic pillars for planning possible conservation strategies. A first step in the analysis addresses the comparison of the similarities between ceiling decoration and certain traditional works of wood crafts found in the same area. The collection of data concerning the carved decoration of wooden doors between the 16th and the 19th centuries, together with the organization of a geo-referenced spatial database, has provided the opportunity to identify the presence of gypsum ceilings and carved doors in the same places and belonging to the same period. A second step deals with the meaning of these different kinds of spatial distributions. The generation of different kinds of data clusters, based on the repeated elements on the decorations has been researched. Spatial analyses based on average distances, weighted overlay analysis and involving the digital terrain model of the general area have been performed in order to compare ceiling distributions based on decoration similarities and the historical road network.