Abstract
Fifty-four pieces out of 356 marble pieces deriving from the decorative and architectonic apparatus of the medieval monastic complex of S. Francesco of Castelletto (Genoa, Italy) preserve traces of varicolored paint layers. Microscopic samples of green, blue, red, pink, white, and yellow paint relics were collected by scalpel and analyzed by means of Scanning Electron Microscope coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), µ-Raman, and Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy with Attenuated Total Reflection (FTIR-ATR), to characterize pigments and binders. The combined results from the different techniques allowed verification that stone decoration in Genoa during the Middle Ages encompassed a calcite groundwork and the use of a mixture of oils and proteins (probably egg) to apply pigments. The assemblage of impurities within the pigment has been correlated with the provenance sites along the commercial continental (Hungary and France) and maritime (Sardinia, Cyprus, or Veneto) routes between the 13th and 15th centuries. Moreover, the investigation of the painted layer improved the characterization of the decorative techniques in use in Genoa during the Middle Ages.
Highlights
Studies over the last 50 years have demonstrated that the neoclassical perspective of absolute white marble sculptures from antiquity to modern times is not correct
It is well known that antique cultures (Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans) used to apply naturalistic polychromatic paint layers onto marble sculptures, their symbolic value has still not been definitively assessed [1]
This study focused on the characterization of color traces preserved upon a cluster of 54 Middle Age marble pieces
Summary
Studies over the last 50 years have demonstrated that the neoclassical perspective of absolute white marble sculptures from antiquity to modern times is not correct. It is well known that antique cultures (Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans) used to apply naturalistic polychromatic paint layers onto marble sculptures, their symbolic value has still not been definitively assessed [1]. Bright colors not necessarily associated with naturalistic appearances [3] characterize architectural surfaces (portals, bas-reliefs, capitals, and columns, etc.), emphasizing the function of the building. In this perspective, the selection of pigments was significant. Depending on rarity and value, some pigments (e.g., natural ultramarine) were used only to represent deities and royalty
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