Abstract
Ancient buildings are important components of the Italian Cultural Heritage and, since the Etruscan Period, Bologna (north-eastern Italy) has always been one of the most flourishing cities both culturally and economically in the Italian and European panorama. The Orsi-Marconi Palace in Bologna presents a monumental façade decorated with many sandstone ornaments of the 16th century. Different samples from different parts of the façade of the building were collected and firstly characterised by macroscopic observations to determine the structural aspect. A petro-mineralogical study on the surfaces of the samples was conducted using a stereomicroscope and Optical Transmitted Light Polarized Microscopy. In addition, X-Ray Fluorescence and X-Ray Powder Diffractometer analyses were carried out to better understand the mineralogical composition of the sandstone materials used and the degradation products from the façades of this historical building. The aim of this work was to better understand how to revalue the sandstone decorations severely affected by deterioration phenomena.
Highlights
The Orsi-Marconi Palace is one of the most noteworthy architectures in Bologna city (Italy). It was realized by the famous architect Antonio Morandi, known with the nickname “Terribilia,” in the middle of the 16th century and it is characterised by a monumental façade decorated with many sandstone ornaments
Lead was an original component of the stones; according to the results summarised in Table 2, it appeared at similar concentration levels in all the samples: higher in the grey sandstone (C.MP3 sample) compared to yellow sandstones (C.MP1 and C.MP2 samples)
The mineralogical and chemical characterization of the natural stone materials used to decorate the façade of Palazzo Orsi-Marconi in Bologna made it possible to identify the type of the natural material used and the quarry of origin, comparing the results obtained from the analyses with bibliography works
Summary
The Orsi-Marconi Palace is one of the most noteworthy architectures in Bologna city (Italy). It was realized by the famous architect Antonio Morandi, known with the nickname “Terribilia,” in the middle of the 16th century and it is characterised by a monumental façade decorated with many sandstone ornaments. The palace was divided into two different houses, until the architect Antonio Morandi planned the works for the unification of two houses into a single building, what later became Orsi Palace (1549–1564) [1,2], an emblematic building of the 16th century. Morandi worked on the façade of the palace building consisting of terracotta with elegant sandstone decorations. With the extinction of the Orsi family, the palace was bought by several aristocratic families of Bologna city, and in the early 20th century it become the residence of the family of the inventor and engineer Guglielmo Marconi, the current name Orsi-Marconi Palace
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